


Titan's Return

by elrond50



Series: The Hale Clan [11]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV), The Dresden Files - Jim Butcher
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, Angels, College, Conspiracy, Fomor, Gods, Guardians - Freeform, M/M, Magic, Multi, Spirits, Wizards, fae
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-08
Updated: 2015-07-22
Packaged: 2018-02-03 20:06:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 81,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1755899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elrond50/pseuds/elrond50
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As college approaches, old mysteries come to light and enemies grow bolder. The past must be explored for answers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I Beg Your Pardon

The late afternoon was as peaceful as one Derek could remember. It didn’t matter that his clothes and hands were covered in paint. All that mattered was the blessed sounds of silence. Sure, if he extended his hearing he would be able to detect the sounds of Danny and Lydia somewhere in the manor, but around him was nothing but the sounds of nature at a distance.

The last few weeks of constant bickering were a fading memory slowly being replaced by the joy of brush on canvas and only the sounds of birds and the occasional woodland mammal. The air was fragrant with the flowers of the courtyards. The water from the fountains added a touch to the soothing nature of the afternoon.

He didn’t think Marin or Lynn’s suggestion that he take up painting would do him any good, but he allowed them to bully him into trying. The mess of color in front of him was a seriously bad attempt at art, but as they kept telling him; it was the doing that mattered, not the result on the canvas. The result they wanted was relaxation.

Not long after he was declared fully physically recovered, Marin and Lynn cornered him and made him talk. The counselor and his emissary made him open up about being tortured. Made him talk about his family. For months they made him just sit with them and if all they did was have tea that was okay. But they listened when he found the words. Wounds that had scabbed over were reopened and drained of lingering poisons. He was allowed to heal completely.

Thanks to all that work he was able to enjoy the peace and quiet. Because it has been anything but peaceful lately. After the ‘Battle of Beacon Hills,’ not much bothered the town directly. No all the issues were internal and the ‘adults’ had told him to leave it alone. So he ignored the glares and hurt feelings that kept popping up. All because the pack was going to college and all of the couples would be at different schools. Lydia and Aiden broke up; Allison and Scott were taking a break, Ethan and Danny decided that college meant new experiences, the cousin thing rained on Cameron and Jackson’s parade so that was ending too. Isaac and Cora never got together officially to end things.

It was Erica and Boyd that was the tough cookie. Their attachment was stronger, close to a bond, but they hadn’t made that commitment. Davis and Berkeley were an hour apart. Boyd had that brand new Toyota Sequoia that Derek and Peter bought him for graduation. Chris, Peter, and Melissa all got Erica to pass her driving test. They continued to teeter between staying or taking a break. Derek thought Erica just wanted Boyd to openly voice his opinion. Derek was told to stay out of it and he was. But all that turmoil had the pack bonds strained a bit.

“ _The highs will remain in the mid-nineties for the next ten days as much of Northern California remains in drought conditions. There is no rain in the forecast. This is National Public Radio…”_

Clicking off the radio, Derek turned back to his project. The canvas in front of him was full of paint; an abstract attempt at completion. Cameron and the older beta, Porter Kane, were in Baltimore wrapping up all of Cam’s East Coast affairs. Lydia and Danny were somewhere in the manor doing something. Peter was in San Francisco looking into his own past with Chris in tow. The rest of the bickering pack was in Davis trying to finalize living arrangements for the coming semester. Stiles, Lydia, Danny, and Cameron, otherwise known as the Stanford Four, had already picked dorm rooms and an apartment. The Berkeley Four; Allison, Cora, Boyd, and Jackson, had their suites arranged just as quickly. But the Davis bunch; Scott, Isaac, Erica, Aiden, and Ethan had been procrastination central.

Melissa ordered Derek not to interfere and let Scott handle it. So now most of them were in Davis trying to find a place since the on campus dorms were booked. He chuckled as he watched the water in the outdoor sink change colors as he cleaned up his mess and hands. It was so rare that he had time to just be. But that is also what Lynn and Marin recommended. Derek needed time to focus on his needs. He was amazed he wasn’t treated with kid gloves by everyone in the aftermath of the battle. Having one’s soul attacked wasn’t something he’d wish on anyone. Dr. Keys mandated a six month follow up which Derek passed. The sit down meeting with the Sheriff, Peter, Chris, and Patrick after that exam though told Derek he still had much to recover.

“And what are you still doing here?” he asked the large black cat that visited often since the spring. “I know Scott and Isaac leave you food all the time. I don’t have any for you.”

The cat shrugged and started cleaning its face. Derek ignored it and kept cleaning as well. It was a companionable silence. Before he knew it, his eyes flashed silver and his head turned towards the far end of the property. Shutting off the water, he took off running quickly towards the oldest section of the Hale lands. Something was out there and it was powerful. As guardian he had no choice but to check it out.

It didn’t take long to find his visitor and he stopped short upon seeing her. It was a Drys, a far more powerful dryad than normal akin to a minor local deity.

“Greetings guardian,” the spirit of the trees moved like mist in the wind. It coalesced near Derek and bowed. “Long has it been since I’ve walked these woods.”

Derek bowed back. It took him a moment to compose his thoughts. “How long has it been?”

“I’ve been aware, like what you would call a dream, but to take this form, it has been an age past.” She twirled in the air and settled back near him. “The forest is awakening. Not like when your manor was built, but a true awakening.”

It took Derek a moment to comprehend what she was saying. “How?”

“Magic flows again. Like water after a long drought, it touches our taproot once more. We can come forth again.” She moved closer and frowned. “But magic is neutral, for good or ill, it revives much.”

“We’ve seen much.”

The wind twinkled with her laughter. “Yes, much and I can sense strong protections all around. But I can also sense that which you cannot. They seek and they search. Not far from here they are looking. The old ones from the sea. My people do not like them.”

Derek swallowed. “What do the Fomor look for?”

“The last alpha guardian cast a spell when she died. A spell of forgetfulness and it worked too well. I do not recall, it is hazy.” She looked around and sighed into the wind. “For good or ill we are all returning. The mortals think us myths, legends, or make-believe. The veils that kept them ignorant of the truth fade.”

Her form solidified and she took Derek’s hand. “Your mother is the key. She and only she might have known what they search for. You must learn your heritage.”

Derek nodded and almost responded but suddenly he felt a piercing pain rip across his abdomen. He fell to his knees clutching his stomach. Slowly he pulled his hands away expecting to find them covered in blood. They were clean as his eyes cleared. He and the Drys turned and looked south. He horrifyingly muttered, “Jackson…”

* * *

 

The angry roar echoed in the streets as Scott, Stiles, Jackson, and Isaac made their way to Jackson’s SUV. Isaac and Scott were practically carrying Jackson, since his intestines wanted to spill out of his body.

“Drive Scott, I’ll see if I can’t delay it,” Stiles yelled from the backseat.

“Are you okay?” Isaac asked from the front seat as Scott took off.

“I got gored by a freaking minotaur! Of course I’m not okay,” yelled Jackson. “Fuck this hurts.”

Another roar echoed down the streets, bouncing off the buildings. The late evening making people scarce in that part of town which they were thankful for. “Okay, did anyone see where the minotaur came from?”

“No,” groaned Isaac as Scott took a corner at high speed. “It showed up and leveled Jackson.”

Scott swerved to avoid a pothole, but ended up hitting the curb.

“Fucker! That hurt! Drive on the road!” Jackson yelled. “Oh god this hurts! DAMMIT, Scott, this is not an off road vehicle, drive on the road!”

Scott swerved again to avoid the debris being thrown at them. “I am driving an obstacle course live, jackass. Shut up and heal!”

Stiles leaned over and pulled back the shirt they stuffed into Jackson’s side to keep the wound together. “Isaac, dial the Manor, get Danny or Lydia on the line; he’s not healing right.”

Isaac fumbled with his phone for a second before an image of Danny appeared on the windshield in front of him. He loved Danny sometimes. “Hey, Jackson got gored by a minotaur, who is still chasing us by the way, and not healing right either.”

The image shifted to Lydia. Isaac recoiled at her stormy visage. “You idiots were supposed to find housing for the year, not find some mythical creatures at Davis! Why do I let Scott and Stiles do anything!”

“Hey,” Scott protested as he swerved to miss another pothole.

“Focus. Lydia!” yelled Stiles from the back. “Oh Shit, Scott, turn left, that fucker is almost on top of us!” Quickly he leaned out of the back window and yelled out a quick spell. The minotaur tore right through the makeshift ward. “Okay, magic and moving vehicles with no time to prepare - zilch.”

Danny’s voice came over the speakers suddenly. “I got a hold of Erica and Boyd. The twins are with them. Follow the navigation and that will lead you right to reinforcements.”

Jackson groaned. “I’m bleeding all over my upholstery. Do you have any idea how much this is going to cost to get detailed?”

“Stuff it, Jackson!” Lydia yelled. “He’s not healing because there is lingering magic in the wound. Find a church and clean it out with holy water.” 

“WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT!!!” screamed Scott as he swerved to avoid a large creature in the road.

Stiles moved from one door to the other and jostled Jackson by accident. “Sorry, man.” He looked at the creature and frowned. “I really hate it when shit I’ve heard about shows up!”

“Where is the closest church?” whined Isaac. He lurched over to avoid the creature that came within an inch of hitting Jackson’s SUV. “Oh My GOD!!! We’re going to die!”

“Shut up, Isaac,” came from all corners.

Stiles grabbed his crystal and placed his hand on the car door. Instantly the car engine shut down and the lights went off. “Fuck!”

“What the hell did you do?” wailed Jackson.

They all clamored out of the SUV. Scott picked up Jackson and they started running down the street. Isaac skidded to halt as a large truck took the corner and leveled the street sign. He looked up and sighed. “It’s Boyd!”

Erica poked her head out of the window. “What the hell is that?”

The large creature with branches sticking out in all directions, leaves covering its skin ambled down the street. They swerved to avoid it as it lumbered down the street. Scott handed Jackson to the twins in the back seat. The roar of the Camaro’s engine filled the air as Cora came to a stop next to Boyd’s truck. “Danny said to get Jackson to a church ASAP!”

Stiles reached over and grabbed Scott. “Cora, stay here, everyone else to the church down the street. We don’t know where the minotaur went.”

“No, we all go!” Scott yelled as he grabbed Stiles’ arm. He practically threw Stiles in the backseat an on top of Allison as she shifted from the front to the back. “Cora, floor it!”

Not needing to be told twice, Cora shifted into gear and roared away from the creature and then swerved again as the minotaur came from a side street. “What the fuck is going on?”

The windshield turned into a head up display with Derek’s face filling the passenger side. “Stiles, what the hell is going on? All I’ve registered so far is a minotaur and some other creature.”

“Not sure, watch that truck!” he screamed at Cora. “Derek, it showed up three blocks from the school where we looked at one last house.”

Allison moved to look out the back. “Both of them are in pursuit. Have they made it to the church already?”

Danny’s voice came over the speaker. “Yes. Erica and Isaac are tending to Jackson.”

“Cora, don’t go directly there yet. We need to know if it is working. If so then Jackson will be fine. If not then we need to get him to some local help. Lydia, any ideas?”

Stiles and Scott traded a look. Cora rolled her eyes. “You guys were panic central. Leave it to us to bail your asses out.”

“We have no idea what that second creature is. Cora, lead them away for ten minutes. Lynn, Marin, and Bronson are looking for possible contacts.” Lydia’s voice faded into some mutters before speaking up again. “Jackson is recovering, head to the church.”

“Now she tells me,” Cora groaned as she tried to out maneuver two monsters and keep them from rampaging around the town of Davis. She took several quick turns before coming up behind the church. “Okay, back door works like the front.”

Stiles ran in followed by Allison and the wolves. He stopped to make sure Jackson was okay.

 “What the hell did you do to my car, Stiles?”

Rubbing a hand on the back of his neck, the young mage shrugged. “Sometimes magic and technology don’t get along.” He stopped speaking as a roar echoed outside. He ran to a window and got a good look at the second creature. “Okay that is a giant walking bush. What the hell?”

“The minotaur is out back,” Erica yelled. “How do we deal with this?”

Stiles raised his hands and started muttering under his breath. His finger danced as he started weaving out tendrils of energy. The slam of his fist to hand set the wards in place. “That will buy us a few moments. This is holy ground and the minotaur might be even further hampered. Though the chloro-fiend might be a different matter altogether.”

“Chloro-fiend?” asked Erica with a chuckle.

“Yes, aka a plant monster. Carlos told me all about Dresden’s encounter with one several years back. Though the campfire tale has it that they ran sacked a Home Depot for weed killer to solve that one.”

“There was a Lowe’s a few blocks that way, Stiles,” snarked Aiden. “Might be easier to hose the giant weed down than be holed up in a church.”

“Everyone is a critic.” Stiles moved from the front of the church to the back. “No rectory here which means no priest…Tell me you didn’t break in?”

“Door was unlocked,” Boyd said. “Seriously.”

Howls rent the air and Stiles smiled as he threw open the front door. His magical wooden focus rod glowing in his right hand as the bracelet on his left wrist glowed too. With a small hand motion he raised a barrier akin to the ones he raised all the times in practice. “Time to go.” In an instant he threw a fireball right at it.

The chloro-fiend roared and vanished. He heard the yells from Erica as the minotaur vanished as well.

“What the hell happened?” demanded Jackson.

Stiles pointed to three wolves on the street with a short man following them. “The local protector and his buddies arrived. And they were on sacred ground. They were summoned. The summoner could not maintain the spell here and deal with a counter-spell.”

Jackson narrowed his eyes and growled at Stiles. “My car better be okay, dumbass.”

“We save his life and he’s worried about his car,” Ethan noted. “Priorities, Jackson, priorities.” 

* * *

 

Patrick and Lynn wandered down the street and examined areas with some residual magical traces. The ‘protector’ in the Davis area was an older gentleman named Hammond Byers. The three wolves were all students at Davis who depended on Byers for protection; a mutual aid society.

“So a summoner?’ Lynn asked as she flicked some ectoplasm off a plant. “Recent activity?”

The former alpha looked at the emissary and pointed towards the church. “How as that warded so well to repel the creatures?”

“It was part of an old mission that’s not on any of the official listings. But rumor had it that special priests came there from time to time over the centuries.” The older man wiped his brow as the air was roasting in the August heat. “You’re a former alpha, I can feel it. Where’s the alpha?”

Lynn smiled and shrugged. “One of the sub-alphas will be attending school here. He was part of that group last night. The alpha recalled them after they escaped with minimal damage. Patrick knows something about investigations.”

“And as a former alpha still has strong senses and is an experienced wolf compared to the kids last night.” Hammond sat down on a bus bench and frowned. “That might be a bit odd for the wolves from around California that attend the school. Very few young alphas of his age around. What’s his name?”

“He’s Scott McCall, sub-alpha of the Hale Clan. He answers to…”

Hammond gasped. “He belongs to Alpha Hale. THE Alpha.” He stood up and started pacing. “How many will be here from your pack?” He stopped and stared at Lynn. “You’re his emissary.”

“I am the clan emissary and his senior counselor.” She smiled again. “I suppose this is as good a time as any to negotiate about the five clan members that will be here for school.”

“First things first,” Patrick reminded them. “The summoner; has this been an issue before?”

“No, but the university has over thirty thousand students. Things change all the time.” He cracked his neck and muttered something under his breath. “I’m not a Warden. If a summoner is around here then I’m outmatched. There was a powerful priest at the university that used to keep an eye of things. But he left for Rome. He was the one that anything of ill will feared. I call the Wardens is things get out of hand.”

Lynn nodded and quickly wrapped up the details of Scott and the four betas coming to school in Davis. Patrick and she walked back to his car in silence. Once the door was closed she groaned. “We need to talk to Derek. If the activity in Davis is picking up then we could be sending the pups into harm’s way.”

“They’ve been through a lot already, but they might be needed here. Derek is going to love this.”

* * *

 

Being forced to do nothing while his pack was in danger had been one of the hardest things Derek had done in ages. But there was no way to get to them in time. Scott was a capable wolf now and Boyd had been there to really backup any of Stiles’ wild schemes. It was sooner than he wanted; being forced to let them handle things on their own.

Now he was in the main workroom, incense burning, as he tried to meditate. It was yet another exercise that Marin and Lynn foisted upon him. He let the quiet come and drive out the maddening direction of his thoughts. Each emotion he’d experienced the last night he pulled up and then let go.

Images roiled in his mind, coming quickly and then moving away. He didn’t fight them, but let his mind go. So many things came and fled that it was impossible to hold any one image and he wasn’t supposed to either. Free floating awareness was everything and nothing.

He felt a presence before he heard the throat clear behind him. Derek hid his smile. “Yes, Stiles?”

“Wondering how long you plan on hiding down here? I mean it’s been three hours. I think the pack is getting restless.” Stiles plopped down next to Derek and placed his hand on Derek’s larger right one. “You never said anything but welcoming us home.”

“Nothing to say. You’re all in one piece and Jackson’s car will be repaired as a freak electrical issue.” Derek rolled his neck and began to stretch out. He glanced over at Stiles openly skeptical expression. “What?”

“Nothing except that you’re allowed to worry. And you can get mad about things, love.” Stiles dropped his shorts and ripped off his t-shirt. “And I’m allowed to seduce you and have sex where the pack can’t hear us.”

Derek shifted his body and pulled Stiles on top of him. He was only in workout shorts which Stiles quickly shucked off.

“Commando?” Derek asked between kisses.

“You’re one to talk,” Stiles answered. “You hardly wear any anymore. No complaints from me mind you.”

Derek broke their kiss and tried to move, but Stiles stopped him. “Not this time big guy. It’s been a month since I’ve been fucked. Starting to feel like you don’t appreciate my fine ass anymore, big guy.”

“Oh,” Derek blushed and rolled onto his back. “Ride me then?”

“Oh Hell yeah!” Stiles moved into position. “I prepped before coming down here.” He hovered over Derek, lining up his lover’s cock before lowering his ass on to it. The stretch and burn of it both familiar and new again. “You really need to do this more often.”

“Are you complaining about my ass not being good enough for you?” groaned Derek. He thrust up to fully seat his dick in Stiles. “This is good too.”

“Damned straight!” Stiles moved up and down, allowing his moans and grunts to echo off the stone walls. All the tension of the prior day drained as he connected with his bondmate.

Derek ran his hands over Stiles taking in all the plains and angles of his whipcord body. “Love you so much.” He knew his eyes were glowing, but he could not help it. He sought the full connection with his lover.

Stiles answered. His eyes too glowing; locking gazes with the powerful alpha under him. “Need to do this more.”

“Yes, before you go…ahhh!!!” Derek thrust deep to completion and felt the warm splatter of Stiles’ answer.

Stiles rolled off and chuckled. “We built up a charge. We’ll have to drain it off in a few days.”

“I know just the thing.”

* * *

 

The door opened with a long creak. Dust filled the air, forcing Chris to cover his nose and mouth while Peter sneezed repeatedly. The place was furnished, but stale with long disuse.

“Do you know how long it had been since you’d been here before the fire?” Chris asked as he ran a finger along one of the tables. He wiped it off on his jeans. “That was over seven years ago.”

“Almost eight now,” corrected Peter. He walked into the house and started opening windows to get some new air circulating in the place. It was August so he wouldn’t call it fresh just yet.

Chris walked through the house, going upstairs to look things over and came back down into the open area. “Nothing seems out of place. The dust is uniform.”

Peter moved to the area that looked like an office. He tried to control his breathing as he took in the place. He leaned into Chris’ touch on his shoulder. “I have no idea what I don’t know, Chris. I don’t remember this place. If not for that letter from the bank concerning a past due safety deposit box I’d never know this place was here.”

That letter opened up a number of things for Peter. The deed to the house in San Francisco, several valuable jewels, a book in Sanskrit, another in Aramaic, but also a list of names that turned up nothing in Google. Peter cried when he pulled out a journal from the box that had the birth registry of Hale family going back to the 11th century. There were notes in there in Latin, Italian, Spanish, and French. Some of the notes made mention of the bloodline going back further from some German and Slavic donors. But those notes mentioned the noble bloodlines they’d had going back to Roman times. However, much of that information was lost in many moves as the European Dark Ages fell.

Now they were in a house that clearly had Peter’s touch everywhere, but he didn’t recall any of it. “The holes in my memory…the blanks become more obvious the more I try to recall things before the fire. This is so…blank.”

Chris wandered into the office and called Peter in there. “There are stock certificates in here. Some other ledgers…” He rifled through two file cabinets and pulled out several folders.

“I was in charge of the family finances.” He flipped a few pages and then the stocks. “There is a small fortune here that isn’t in the main trust fund. That was my role for the pack. Our family followed an obscure ritual where a ‘seer’ would come when we were born to read our future.” He looked over at Chris and smirked. “Apparently my traits of fierce ruthlessness towards my family’s enemies, seeking knowledge for power, and an overabundance of charm made me perfect to be a lawyer and the family banker.

“Talia had a friend come when Laura, Derek, Cora, and Robert were born. I know Michael, Cameron, and Marie had a reading done too. That’s how Michael and Laura were trained for alphadom. The funny thing is Derek was never meant to be Alpha. He was actually going to be the lore-master. He loved learning; he speaks six languages. It was his natural role, but fate had different plans. He was an introvert much of his childhood with Laura claiming the spotlight and then Cameron needing attention too. William tried to be there, but he really handled the family affairs. Talia was happy I took over many of our relations with other Powers. Derek was happy in the library, buried in a book.”

“Do you think he would have been with Stiles if that path had been open?” Chris asked as he pulled out more files.

“Are you kidding? Not sure how it would have worked, but they would’ve met. Stiles would have met a handsome, but serious nerd in Derek. He was more outgoing once, but his first girlfriend died in high school – car accident.” Peter flipped through a few folders. “Laura and Michael were the ones being groomed. They might both have ended up Hale Alphas. Not unheard of as you can tell by our current state of affairs.”

Chris smirked as he dropped some papers on top of the stack of financials Peter was rifling through. “I heard stories about Andrew Hale and his inability to keep his pants zipped. Looks like you had the same trouble.”

Paternity test papers glared up at Peter. “This is not the same as what the Fae mentioned to me. I have two potential children running around?”  Peter flipped through those papers and chuckled when he came across something else. “And I made a few donations to a sperm bank too. If I want kids now I can use them since I fire blanks now.”

“As if I would let you naturally conceive at this point,” Chris countered. He opened a photo album and cleared his throat. “Peter, you need to see this.”

The tone of Chris’ voice pulled Peter from stacks in front of him. He stopped when he saw the album. His fingers trembled as he took the album and opened it. Michael in braces and a baseball uniform, Laura as Belle with William as the Beast, Cora crawling around, Talia pregnant, Derek and Cameron running away from Laura and Michael. Peter’s heart stopped; there was a picture of Sarah, his deceased wife. He closed the album and handed it back to Chris. “Make sure we take that back with us.”

“Peter…”

“I was here after I met Sarah and I have no recollection of it.” Peter looked around and groaned. “There is this whole life here and millions of dollars sitting in stocks and bonds and I can recall none of it.”

Chris sat back and looked around. “When did you move back to Beacon Hills?”

“Six months before the fire.” Peter looked at Chris questioningly.

“That’s the last date of the mail in that stack. You don’t recall moving from here, but Sarah was in one of those photos. You told me you married her within three months of meeting her. Peter, she was pregnant when she died wasn’t she?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t know everything about alphas, but I know enough. You had your memory wiped and there is only one alpha I know who could have been that close to you and skilled enough that you could still lawyer.”

Peter collapsed into a chair. “But why? Why would Talia do that?”

Chris gathered a few things and placed them in his backpack. “You said she was friends with a seer. Maybe that’s where we start.”

* * *

 

As had become their routine, the ladies of the pack met for a late morning coffee and snack. It was their way of bonding away from all the testosterone the boys rolled in. Sometimes Mia and Karina joined them, but those two were off visiting friends in Santa Clara. As long as at least two of the ladies were available then the twice weekly jaunt was held at The Roasted Bean and Bakery.

“I’m not sure I’m ready for a grand adventure,” Erica said as she sipped her iced coffee. “Boyd is terribly excited about going to Berkeley. All the engineering he’ll learn and stuff he’ll get to play with.” She shrugged and looked down at the plate of pastries.

Lydia flipped her hair and tapped her nails on her chair. “I’m excited to be in an academic setting where I’m not constrained.”

“You just want to see what all the new guys look like,” Allison quipped. “Not that I’m not either…” She lifted up a bearclaw and smiled. “Why should we deny ourselves if the boys don’t?”

Cora scoffed. “I’ve seen them eat. It’s disgusting. Derek keeps telling me they’ll learn manners eventually.” She picked up a cinnamon twist and moaned as she took a bite. “Someone needs to go to pastry school. I vote Isaac.”

“Seconded,” Lydia said. “I’m not. Erica is a disaster in the kitchen, handy at sewing, but disaster in the kitchen. Allison is a badass and marginal in the kitchen.” She turned to look at Cora. “And you are a ‘burns water’ type of girl. Can kick everyone, but Cameron’s and Derek’s asses, but cooking is not your thing.”   

All of them traded looks and started laughing. “We need boyfriends. Preferably already trained and skilled.”

After the laughing stopped, Cora looked at Erica and smiled. “Look, Allison and Scott have that tragic on-again off-again thing going on, but you and Boyd just need to be apart for a bit before you both realize how much you mean to each other.”

Allison started laughing again. “I’m making a bet right now that Scott and Isaac end up sleeping together a lot. Not saying they date, but being ‘buddies’ who help each other out.”

“You think you’ll get back together?” Lydia asked. “I know Aiden and I are done, but he’ll always be my friend, when he’s not being an ass.”

“I think its run its course.” Allison shrugged and sat back to take a deep breath. “He’s my friend and I’ll always love him, but we’re moving on. I can see us with our partners in ten years looking back together fondly remembering the ‘first love’ thing. Right now it’s tough because he doesn’t how to dealing with some of his feelings. I mean Cameron and Jackson still snuggle, but killed their sex life.”

Cora scoffed, “If not for the cousin thing then they would still be fucking like bunnies. Still hard to believe that Jackson is actually a Hale by birth not bite.” She waved for the conversation to move on.

“Then, ladies, here’s to finding new love in college. Except you Erica, you need to find a way to make Boyd see you’re his It.” Lydia smiled and then turned to Cora. “What are you going to study?”

“Biology and anatomy.” Cora grinned. “There are so few werewolf doctors out there.”

Erica rolled her eyes and shifted a bit. “Better start working on that bedside manner.”

Allison and Lydia giggled while Cora glared. “I’m not that bad.”

“You’re almost as bad as Derek used to be and he was a big massive mess of bad attitude.”

Lydia kept laughing when the world began to lose all its color and time slowed down. Everything was in muted shades of gray and frozen. But she could see things…images of people long gone. Shadows moved and the air plummeted in temperature. Specters of moved through walls and some melted into the air. Everything shimmered with an eerie light. The shadows moved and creatures rose out of them. A few began to reach for her.

Cora’s image shifted to a mist and a hollow voice rang out, “ _You must learn who you really are…”_ That shadow moved towards Lydia. “ _Learn…”_

“What?” Lydia looked all around her

Everything was still quiet, but the shadow around Cora spoke again as it moved closer, growing larger and larger. “ _Find Rosa…lind…know your history…_ ” Then everything shifted back to normal in an instant.

“Lydia are you okay?” asked Allison. “You just started writing gibberish.”

“None of you saw that? Everything go gray?”

Erica leaned over and shook her head. “You went away for a second and then that happened.”

Lydia looked down and there was scribbles on the napkin, but the word ‘Rosalind’ was there. “I do not need this shit right before I go to Stanford.”

* * *

 

_Silence was all around him. The forest was broken, trees scattered everywhere. Ravens, an unkindness of ravens soared through the air and then started flying all around him. Behind him he could feel the emptiness of the blasted out house. Ache and loss wound its way through his soul. The raven calls echoed in the emptiness._

**_D…e…r…e…k_ ** _, they called. Brackish water in the old pool showed him his reflection. Gray, old, beaten down, huge scar on the left side of his face across where an eye should be. The ravens mocked him. Despair and panic warred in him._

“Derek!” Stiles yelled as he grabbed his hand. “Where were you?”

The vision cleared from his mind as he shook his head. He saw the whole pack looking concerned. He gave them a small smile. “As mom would say I was gathering wool.” He shrugged and moved closer to them all gathered on the patio.

“So, you all want to know why I had you cancel all your lovely Saturday plans? To put it mildly, I’m sick of all the fighting, bitching, complaining, and rude remarks you are all throwing at each other.” He glared at them. “You all are pack and I know there are feelings involved in some of the break ups, but that does NOT excuse some of what has been said or mumbled.

“As a result, we are going to have a team building exercise. You will be divided into four teams.” He pulled out a sheet of paper. “Green team is Erica, Boyd, Isaac, and Porter. Blue is Cora, Scott, Allison, and Karina. Yellow is Cameron, Lydia, Aiden, and Mia. Red is Stiles, Jackson, Danny, and Ethan. The captains are Lydia, Boyd, Cora, and Jackson. You will each have a flag to defend and have to capture the other team’s flags to win.”

Derek smiled broadly. “You will note that Peter, Patrick, and I are also dressed for this exercise. We are the wild cards. To take us out you have to get all four of the flags we have on our body, just like flag football.” He grinned again. “You will work together or else you’re getting your ass kicked. There are four bags out on the grounds, one for each team. The only rule is to mind those of us who don’t heal as well as others. Bronson, John, Chris, Marin, Lynn, Jennifer, and Melissa will be monitoring. When Chris gives the signal you will have fifteen minutes to find a position to defend and get a strategy prepped. At that point it is open season.” 

The first shot rang out and the four teams ran off in different directions.

“Well, Melissa, shall we start getting the food ready?” John asked. “They’ll be hungry when this is done.”

“Oh sure, you take the easy route and cook,” complained Peter. “I have to go play with the kiddies.” A feral smile crossed his handsome face. “The stash of our weapons are still well hidden?”

“Of course,” Patrick answered.

Lynn rolled her eyes and poured a purple liquid into a clear bowl. She motioned for Marin and Bronson to join her. They each poured a liquid into the same bowl, green for Marin and blue for Bronson. They started chanting something together and the liquid turned clear.

“Do I want to know what they are doing?” Chris asked.

Jennifer leaned back in her chair and sipped her tea. “They are making it hard for either Stiles or Lydia to dominate the game.” Sighing she stood up and stretched. “And I get to add a little bit of horror to this whole escapade. The things I do for this clan.”

Across the forest, the four teams took off to find points to defend and from which to attack. Jackson led his group to the front. “Look Stiles, I don’t think you should do anything except veil and keep the flag on you. Set a few traps as warnings, but don’t engage.”

Danny and Ethan nodded in agreement. “Dude, if I were the others you’d be target number one,” Danny stated. “Lydia knows what you can do and will get Boyd and Cora to agree.”

“It will be a free-for-all after that, but the ‘hunt down Stiles’ group will come first,” Ethan agreed.

“So Danny take up an ambush position near the waterfall. Ethan, you and I will sneak back behind the manor and see if we can’t get a flag or two.” Jackson stretched and looked back at Stiles. “Don’t let them find you.”

Stiles took the flag and stuffed it into his backpack. He raised his arms and allowed the wind to gather around him. Soon he was surrounded by a vortex. He watched as his three teammates moved off. He pulled the winds in tighter around him. After a few minutes, he unleashed the vortex and sent the wind all around the manor, whipping up trees and leaves. But most importantly, Stiles sent his scent all around the manor and front of the estate. The wolves would not find a trail to get him.

Lydia pulled Boyd and Cora aside as soon as they were away from the manor. “Listen, they want to see cooperation then we give it to them. Stiles needs to go down first. I say we send Porter, Scott, and Cameron after him and that leaves us with three to play the rest of this game.”

“And the three we send? They are the strongest we each have,” Boyd asked.

“Jackson isn’t stupid and neither is Stiles, they will have a plan. This provides us the best flexibility to take out the strongest piece and win.”

The three captains agreed and headed their separate ways. Scott, Porter, and Cameron received their orders and took off. Cora looked at Allison and Karina with a broad smile. “I know the perfect place. It’s about two hundred yards past the lakeside room. Small cove. Allison can you decoy it and climb a tree to give it cover?”

“Yes, but is that all?” Allison asked as they took off running. “I can sneak out and recover a flag when we have an opening.”

Cora paused and nodded. “Karina, plant the flag at the top of that tree. Allison cover it from your point for a few minutes, but then move off. We will depend on stealth and speed to win.”

Boyd looked over at Isaac and Erica. “Speed is life. Isaac, you’re the fastest of us. Keep the flag on you. Erica and I will flank you at a distance. If we start losing, run. We are not going out first.”

Lydia sighed as she marched Aiden and Mia to her preferred defense position. “The two greenhouses will give us some cover.”

“Stiles scent is in the wind, it colors everything,” Mia complained. “The plan?”

“I’ll hold the flag and defend. They’ll come after me like I sent them after Stiles. Aiden, take Cora’s team. Mia, you get Boyd’s. We’ll worry about what’s left of Jackson’s group later.”

Chris fired his gun in the air. “So it starts.” He watched as a mist rose out of the bowl the three magic users were standing over. “That doesn’t look pleasant.”

“While not harmful, it will make working magic…uncomfortable for an hour or so. Though by the winds we just experienced I don’t think it will hamper Stiles much,” Marin explained. She pulled her hair back into a pony tail and smiled. “Since John wants to cook, I’ll join you on in the field to watch.”

Derek sneezed and shook his head to clear it. “That mist is making me feel a bit off.”

Lynn shrugged. “It will pass quickly since you are strongest here. Enjoy your hunt.”

The three senior wolves nodded and took off. Derek pulled Peter to the side after they were away from the patio. “You okay?”

Shaking his head, he clasped Derek’s hand for a moment. “I’ll be fine, lots on my mind right now. Harassing teenagers is a good start to clearing it though.” He took off towards the area Derek knew Cora favored. He moved back and found Patrick waiting for him. “Yes?”

“You want to really play with them?”

The snide tone and the smirk on the former alpha’s face made Derek smile broadly. “Change the rules and make them combine forces?”

“Absolutely.”

Derek took off running. “The action is up front then.”

They took off at a full run, Derek leading and Patrick flanking his left. With a deft motion, Patrick took Derek’s signal and continued his run while Derek veered to the lept to head toward the manor. He instantly knew Danny was in an ambush position. Derek dropped back and left over one of the embankments to climb up to the front of the manor. Crouching low, he took in the lower area with the two paths to the front door. He could sense his two sub-alphas near and his mate.

A shot rang out and a yell from Scott almost made Derek laugh. He moved down to the next landing area and watched as Cam tried to return fire to the general area the shot came from.

Derek picked up on Patrick’s approach and jumped down to level his cousin. “Timeout for you for three minutes.” Derek smiled at Cameron’s pout. He deliberately waited and moved as Scott tried to pounce and missed grabbing one of his flags. “Too slow there, Scott.”

Stiles kept his veil tight around him, perched in the boughs of two trees. Watching Derek literally dance with Scott was funny. He knew his best friend was getting pissed, but Derek was making Scott work for a flag. Movement out of the corner of his eye caught Porter sneaking towards that fight. Stiles knew that Cameron would soon be able to rejoin the fight. Derek was good, but not three on one good.

“Ah, pup, I told you your sneaking skills needed work.”

Patrick came out of nowhere to level Porter. Stiles took the flag out of his backpack and hid it in an old birds nest in the tree. Quickly pulling out his battle rod, he gathered the energy to send a force blast right into the middle of the fray, but he was hit with a wave of nausea. The world turned upside down.

_The manor was blown out and the forest broken. Stiles tightened the grip on his wizard’s staff. His artificial leg giving him grief again and his wrist never healed right. He didn’t want to visit the graveyard in the back. So many losses over the years. Lydia and Derek were nearby as were his sons, nieces, and nephews. ‘If those Black Court thugs think they’ve beaten…_

The world rushed back to normal and Stiles barely caught the branch before falling twenty feet to the ground. The rustling of the trees brought full attention to his position. “Shit!”

Cameron abandoned his fight with Derek and moved to get Stiles. Staccato gunfire echoed in the front as Danny came out of his position to defend Stiles. The young mage threw a shield up and forced Cam’s momentum over him. His own movement brought him up crouching from his roll and he got off a shot that leveled Porter.

“Always look in your blind spot.”

Stiles turned in time to see Patrick level the paintball gun at him and fired five times into his chest.

“OWWW!!! That hurt!” Stiles made to hit the senior beta.

“And now you’re dead,” Derek said and he picked up a gun and hit Danny moving between defensive positions. “And so is the healer.” He turned and fired a dozen shots at a dazed Scott. “And one of the alphas is down too.” he looked around and frowned. “Cameron fled. Patrick, look around for the red flag and then join me.”

Cameron took off at full speed around the bend and almost ran over Jackson. The beta turned to fight, but Cameron held up his hands. “Patrick and Derek just took out Scott, Stiles, Danny, and Porter. This is an exercise within an exercise.”

“Son of a…” Jackson growled. He whistled and Ethan came up from the side. “Grab your brother and tell him that Derek and Patrick are hunting us all. We need to unite to take them out. Peter too.”

Ethan took off at full speed. Jax looked around and groaned. “There isn’t much here to delay them. We have to head deeper into the forest.” The two of them moved quickly and then ran full steam when they heard a scream.

Peter grinned broadly as Allison cursed being caught from behind. “The hunter became the hunted. Dear, Chris and I play these games all the time.”

“I so did not need to hear that,” groaned Allison. “Looks like you are in world of hurt.” She motioned over her shoulder as Karina and Cora moved from one side and Jackson and Cameron broke through the underbrush from the opposite side. “Four on one looks bad for you.”

Peter smiled and dropped to the ground as a flurry of paintballs flew by from Patrick. Cameron and Jackson were covered in paint while Derek roared and jumped into the clearing. He shoved Karina to the side while he started fighting Cora.

“Bad form, little sis.” Derek mocked as he blocked two of her attacks and got in two heavy hits with a counterattack. He took on Karina as she joined back up. He danced out of the way as they both tried to grab his flags. “Sorry, but I have to cut this short.” He did a three back flips and pulled out his gun. He leveled Karina and then nailed Cora with a single heart shot. “Good try.”   

Peter got back to his feet. “As tests go, you are failing.”

Ethan, Aiden, and Isaac arrived and attacked Patrick and Peter in tandem. Derek backed up and expanded his senses. Erica, Mia, Boyd, and Lydia were still unaccounted for. The cursing from Aiden and Ethan let Derek know the twins were down. He shut that down and moved between trees. His footfalls stirring nothing to give him away. Two twigs snapping made him move and he fired before he had a true sight.

“Shit!” yelled Lydia.

Boyd, Erica, and Mia flew into the fight to get to Isaac. Peter fired two more rounds and only clipped Mia. Patrick engaged Boyd straight up. Isaac came flying in, but dropped back with two hits to the chest from Derek.

“Bastard!”

Erica and Mia both groaned as they were taken out. Patrick leapt over Peter and took out Boyd for the final takedown. Peter dusted off his pants and laughed. Patrick grinned as the all the pack slowly arrived, all of them pissed and groaning.

Derek laughed as the pack was a mess, while the three wild cards were relatively clean. “You planned to take each other out, but didn’t account for additional variables. No one wins since I’m not going to look for flags.”

Patrick and Peter started gathering weapons. Several of the betas glared at Derek. The alpha finally relented a bit. “Since your team building didn’t go as expected, we have a surprise for you. Melissa and John are grilling tonight.”

“Please tell me that Melissa is making guacamole,” Erica begged.

Scott growled and started running for the patio. “Dibs!” he yelled.

Stiles walked over and elbowed Derek in the ribs. “You knew this was going to happen.”

“Had no clue.” He smiled at the united disgruntled pack. “But it worked.”

* * *

 

The study was quiet as most of the clan was out doing various things after the mandatory Sunday brunch. Derek loved the quiet moments with nothing threatening his home, pack, or friends. But Cora let slip something that Lydia had yet to report. He knew she was still in the house, but would wait for her to find him. Often with Lydia, the only way to deal with her was to let her do things on her terms.

“You heard?”

The question pulled Derek from his thoughts as he smiled at Lydia. “I did, but I would rather hear your thoughts?”

She moved into the room and sat down opposite Derek. “It was a waking dream.”

Derek waited for a moment before speaking. “I’ve had one recently. Stiles has them from time to time. We don’t ignore them, Lydia. Have you spoken to Lynn or Marin?”

Lydia sat back and shook her head; the tension in her shoulder seeping away. “No. I leave in two weeks and this happens. I have no idea what it meant…Rosalind. The whole thing was like being in another world. I don’t know how to describe it. But the warning was real.” She looked at him and frowned. “I don’t like not being in control. That vision came from nowhere. No offense to the emissaries, but sometimes they have their own agendas.”

“Indeed. Our next best bet would be Peter, but he has been a bit distant since he returned from San Francisco. The album…it’s the most treasured thing we have.” He stood up and motioned for her to follow. They made their way to the back patio where the shade kept the worst of the heat away. “I looked at the list of names we found in that safe deposit box and there was no Rosalind on there.”

She frowned again and looked away. “So many secrets and answers were lost.” She looked over at him and sighed. “Peter has secrets that need to be brought to light. Lynn has seen that registry, but they won’t let you touch it. Why?”

Derek shrugged and looked away. “There is an enchantment on it. They fear how it would interact with who I am. That’s the same reason they don’t want Stiles to touch it. There are far too many questions that need answering and we are out of our depth now.”

“I’ll ask Lynn and Marin about my vision.” Lydia saw the black cat and reached down to pet it. “Scott and Isaac have spoiled you. You’d think you’d want nothing to do with werewolves running around here.”

Power roiled around the patio. Derek staggered back and tried to clear his eyes after a brilliant flash of light. Lydia was flat on her back. As his eyes cleared he stared at…there was no way he wasn’t hallucinating.

“Oh come now little brother, I’m not that scary.”

Derek rubbed his eyes. “Laura?”


	2. Heartbreak Beat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Hale history comes to life and the kids head off to college.

It was a punch to the gut and even now seeing her standing there laughing, it hurt more than he could imagine. “Laura?” his voice was tinged with unshed tears.

“Hey, little bro.” She turned to Lydia and smiled. “And you are Lydia Martin; you’ve got a lot to learn too.”

Derek stared at the spot Laura had been standing, but it was now empty. Only the rapid heartbeat from Lydia made Derek realize he wasn’t imagining this.

The voice popped up behind him. “You always could be a little slow on the uptake little brother.”

“How…how is this possible?” Derek turned to face his sister. She looked just like she had before she left New York; before she came here to her death.

Gently she let her fingers graze his scruffy cheek. “You’ve been told over and over again that magic has returned. Your patron decided you needed a guide and sent me.” She smiled and ruffled his hair. “The Goddess decided you needed an avatar to help and who better than your big sister.”

Lydia closed her mouth and stepped forward. “Are you real or a spirit?”

Laughter rang out through the back patio. “The cat that has been roaming around is one form. It requires less energy and a bit of a joke since I was a werewolf.” She smiled again, but looked away for a moment and grew serious again. “There is so much you don’t know, but need to. I can help you with what I can, but some of what is happening you will have to find out on your own.”

“What does he need to know?” demanded Lydia.

“Slow down firecracker,” quipped Laura. “Sometimes things need to be revealed slowly; providing context to a situation. And I _am_ limited in what I do know and what I can say. But what I knew when I was alive is completely open.” She caressed Derek’s neck again and smiled. “Too often luck and chance have saved you all.”

Laura stared into Derek’s watering eyes. “We suffered along with you – all of it. I was the best choice since we survived together, little bro. But it is no longer about surviving, but learning and growing. Your packs are heading to college to expand everything about them. You are going to graduate school though – Alpha and Guardian classes.”

Lydia started laughing. “I’m texting Stiles to hurry back here and it’s nice to know our fearless leader will be well occupied while we’re away.”

Before he knew it Derek was walking down the path toward the clearing and the door to the Summer Lands of the Nevernever. The light breeze carried no scent of his ethereal sister walking next to him. Just seeing her though was good enough, but having her scent would have been better. He always calmed down when he was near her; the lone survivor of his original anchor – his family.

“I am so sorry, Der. And I know it’s not Peter’s fault and he will need to hear that from me.” They reached the clearing, but she led them away from the door and towards the opposite end. She pointed and frowned. “Look out there with your Guardian senses. What do you see?” She noted the puzzled look on his face. “Center and find that connection to the land. Let those senses open up for you.” Laura waited for a few seconds before she nodded. “Now open your eyes and look with your alpha eyes; what do you see?”

The world was full of color, vibrant in a way things weren’t when he shifted. But he could feel something, deep under him, he could feel something in him shifting, aligning. Deep breaths kept him centered as his awareness expanded. Suddenly it felt like something snapping in place; akin to a dislocated shoulder going back into its socket.

“Wow,” was all Derek managed to mutter.

“You are now truly wearing your mantle. See what it’s telling you…”

Laura’s voice faded as Derek’s awareness began to encompass all of his territory; and it was far larger than he ever expected. The past opened up to him as he could feel how long Hales had run through these northern woods. “Amazing.”

All the pack members were like points of light laid out on the map in his head. The bright blue with hints of red buried deep said ‘Patrick’ to him. In the same room was the brilliant shimmering energy that screamed ‘Stiles.’ The golden hues of the turned wolves made him smile. The brilliant blues of the born wolves also announced their presence. Even though he was over an hour south, the red glow with golden hues of ‘Scott’ was still felt by Derek. The golden shimmer that screamed ‘Isaac’ with him along with the soothing green of Melissa right there along side.

But he looked in front of him and saw what Laura needed him to see. An incomplete circle with a diameter of eight feet. But it appeared and disappeared to his sight. He dropped his shifted eyes and moved closer to look with his normal vision. There was an incomplete circle of mushrooms. “Is that a fairy ring?”

“Yes, and as you can see it is incomplete, but growing. True fairy rings are gates to multiple planes.”

Derek scrubbed a hand over his face. “Another reason for our enemies to attack us here.”

“It is in your power to conceal its existence from outside eyes, or will be,” Laura cautioned. “And it is a reason to start thinking about the structure of the clan.” She smiled and gripped his elbow moving him back towards the path. “Let’s talk about the clan…”

* * *

 

The clock on the wall irritated Stiles. It refused to move at all; he swore to no end that it was moving backwards to spite him.

“Glaring at the clock doesn’t make it move faster. I told you that your father just left and we didn’t know when he’d be back,” stated a young deputy rather sarcastically.

“Thank you Deputy Parrish, but you said he’d be gone fifteen minutes,” Stiles argued. “It’s been twenty.”

A chuckle from behind them made the two both turn around. “I hate to break it to you Stiles, but your dad is now having lunch with the mayor…”

“He’s being sneaky with his diet isn’t he,” demanded the young mage.

Deputy Patrick Watt smiled broadly. “Seeing how last week he had tofu three times and not an ounce of meat, I’d say it was probable.” He walked closer and picked up the book that was open across Stiles’ lap. He smirked, “Seriously?”

“What?” Stiles yanked the book back. “The Remington sisters are awesome! Carver Edlund is a genius! Well, his plot structure is a bit weak, but the action and humor are top rate.”

The older deputy flipped through a few pages and then glanced up. “Don’t you have some filing to do, Jordan?”

Parrish groaned and moved to the door. “You know, you aren’t the boss when the sheriff is out.”

Stiles coughed into his hand and then grinned at the younger deputy. “Actually, dad loves Patrick. Thinks the world of him and…kind of considers him an assistant.”

“Fine,” grumbled Parrish as he walked away.  

“Are you really reading this trash, Stiles?” Patrick rolled his eyes as he looked through it some more. “Looking for some imps? Really?”

“The beastiary is full of things we’ve never seen. Maybe this is a survival guide like Buffy is.” He yanked the book back and put it in his backpack. “I leave in a little over a week. Patrick, promise me you’ll lookout for him along with Derek.”

The deputy sat down near Stiles and nodded. “Melissa, Derek, Peter, Chris, and I will all make sure he’s okay. We get it, Stiles, we really do. You go off and only worry half the time instead of all of it. Have fun.”

Stiles started messing with the hem of his t-shirt. He glanced over at Patrick a few times before biting the bullet. “Do you like it here?”

Instinctively the deputy knew the larger implications of the question. “We’ve been here almost a year now. Porter loves it; mentoring Isaac, goofing off with Boyd, sparring with Cora or Cameron, just being with people who get him. Mia and Karina love the absence of pressure and the freedom to really find themselves.”

“And you?”

“It’s nice to be needed. This place needed help and we came. But mostly it comes down to Derek. He’s still learning his job as alpha, but he’s a Hale and, Stiles, even now I’m not sure you really understand what that means.

“There aren’t that many old families around. Many tend to be solitary or a handful of generations old. The Hales trace their heritage back centuries. Most packs are built through the bite, but not the Hales; they were by birth mainly and if humans were born then they were fully accepted too.” He smiled at Stiles. “And they’ve been here for about two hundred and fifty years. Considering the age of the country that’s an eternity. It’s funny when you think about it; Beacon Hills had werewolf royalty living here and never knew it.”

Stiles looked away for a bit before he looked at Patrick again. “But are you happy?”

The smile was earnest and broad. “Yeah, but happier when you get out of the station. You’re a menace!”

* * *

 

Slowly they made their way up the path, taking in all the gardens and plantings that were now a year old. “Derek, I know that Peter has that ledger, but you need to open it and read it. It reacted to Mom whenever there was a change to the family. It hasn’t been touched by the alpha in since Bobby was born.”

The mention of their youngest sibling cut deep for a second. “Can’t believe it will still work.”

“As long as a Hale lives then it will work.” She smiled again. “Now, tell me what you think about the full clan; I’ve observed for a few months, but I need you to tell me.”

Derek stopped at one of the greenhouses and looked out through the trees to the deeper forest. “I think we’re structured wrong. Cameron has alpha abilities because we don’t have a real back up and Scott will head his own pack in a few years.”

“Who should be the second then?” Laura leaned close and stared at Derek.

A frown marred Derek’s face for a second and then he sighed. “Patrick should be the second and he does act like it. But he’s new, relatively so, to us. Plus…I think he’s more loyal to his job than to us.”

“Which means he’ll call you on your bullshit and work closely with the clan emissaries; exactly what a second should be. What else?”

Derek quickly recounted his thoughts of Boyd being an alpha someday with a family at its heart. His dream was of huge gatherings over the summer of all the small packs at the manor with dozens of kids running around. Of another generation of Hales secured to Beacon Hills. 

As they made their way back to the manor, Derek felt unburdened in ways he hadn’t in years. “I’ll gather the family after dinner. I know Cora and Peter will be amazed to see you.”

“Makes sure Stiles is there too.” Laura waved as her image vanished.

So much information whirled around Derek’s head that he made his way down to the gym. He needed to work out and not think for a bit. The blur of movement caught his eye as he made for the locker room.

Boyd and Cameron circled each other. Each man held a combat knife in his hand. A flurry of thrusts and parries had them pull back and circle again. Boyd moved first going low to get under Cameron’s defenses, but a swift leg kick and a twisting jump took Cam away from the eight inch military blade. This time Cam charged and they traded jabs and Cameron sliced down Boyd’s left forearm leaving a gash, but Boyd turned, jumped and slashed along Cameron’s thigh leaving them equal.

More blows traded to and fro; knives clashing once again. Cam dropped his guard and Boyd went into the open area only to have his knife dislodged by a sudden shift in Cam’s attack.

“Not bad, Boyd,” huffed Cameron. “That lasted twice as long as last week. Keep it up and I’ll be the one tapping out.”

Derek nodded as he walked past them and into the weight room. Chris Argent’s training regime was paying off after a year. He didn’t want the werewolves dependent on shifting if they were in trouble. All of them were armed with knives so they didn’t have to resort to claws that could compromise their anonymity. 

Slowly Derek lost himself into the routine. He ran through all the forms that he’d been trained in back in New York. Reactions had to be instinctive instead of thought out. Laura was right; too many times things had come down to luck. For all that misfortune had visited upon his family it was too dangerous to rely on luck to save them.

“You’re a big sweaty mess and since I wasn’t involved in making you one I think you can cool down now.”

Derek stopped his movements and smirked at Stiles. “You love to interrupt me don’t you?”

The mage walked towards the middle of the floor and tossed a towel at his mate. “You’ve been down here an hour. There is an extent to my patience when Lydia texts me that something amazing is going on.”

“Let me shower. Have Cora, Peter, and Cameron join us in the Library in half an hour.”

* * *

 

The Hales assembled in the Library. Cora kept tapping her fingers on the table while Peter guarded the ledger. Cameron leaned against one of the bookshelves.

“Okay, nephew, why are we here? Not that I don’t mind a dramatic flair every-so-often, but get on with it.”

Derek nodded and cleared his throat. “Apparently silver eyes were not all that were gifted to us last November. While Patrick has been helpful in helping me become a full alpha, She sent me more direct help.” He pointed to the cat lounging on one of the chairs.

Cora raised a skeptical eyebrow. Peter did a double take while Cameron smothered his laugh with a cough. Stiles cleared his throat. “You know that’s the stray that adopted Isaac and Scott? How did he get in?”

In an instant the cat was gone and the solid image of Laura was sitting in the chair. “First, I’m a she and second, I can come and go as I please.”

“Holy shit,” was all Stiles managed to croak out before Peter fainted.

Cora and Cameron rushed to their uncle’s side while Derek was torn between laughing and being concerned.

Peter recovered after Cameron got him up and Cora flicked some water in his face. “The bedside manner of our family has devolved of late.”

“You think?” Laura asked. “Okay, I’m a spirit sent back to help because you all are in way over your head. Derek needs to learn some things only a Hale alpha would know. Unfortunately, mom was the last real Hale alpha.”

Laura turned to look at Peter and gave him a small sad smile. “It wasn’t you and I don’t hold any grudges. Except for the fact that you can’t seem to keep it in your pants any better than Uncle Andrew did.” She smiled at Cam and Cora. “I am so happy you’re still alive and here now. But we need to get a move on. Bring out the ledger.”

Peter pulled the book over and it appeared to grow larger. He placed it reverently on the table and moved back. Derek stepped up and took a deep breath. Heavy and embossed with the triskelion on the cover, it spoke of great age. Derek could sense Laura around, but could not see her anymore. Peter, Cora, Stiles, and Cameron stood around the table waiting for him to do something.

Slowly and with great reverence Derek touched the ancient tome. The sigil on the cover glowed as did his eyes.

“See…” came a voice deep in his head as if very far away.

_The need for vengeance_ _burned in his veins. His family was dead and his village in ruins. The invaders would pay. Out of the burning mists, his sister came. She was of the Temple devoted to the Goddess._

_‘Your cries of despair reached her ears, my brother. Vengeance may be yours but there will be a great price for both of us and all our progeny.”_

_He nodded, agreeing without knowing the details. The ground moved swiftly under his feet as he searched for his prey. The lone grey wolf stared back at him as he caught him and brought him back to his sister._

_The full moon rose in the sky as his sister started chanting. The wolf soon stood up and howled. The moon descended from the sky and touched the wolf on its shoulder and slowly took the form of a man._

_‘Daughter and son, we’ve heard you. You will serve me and the earth spirits.’ The Goddess touched both of them. Energy flowed through his body. The wolf laughed and came forward. He too touched them and suddenly all the energy from the Goddess felt grounded. Everything came alive in an instant._

_‘Strength, power, endurance, and health, all of these will be yours. You will grow stronger in numbers. Your children will live even those who will not inherit your gifts, but for them other gifts will be granted. But the price…many will mark you and fear you. Strange they will call you eventually and hunt you. Distrustful will many be of you, but in numbers you can overcome all.’_

_The next night he shifted and became the wolf. He followed the trail of those who raided Etruscan lands. When he knew where they were he waited for them to sleep and he shifted back. He crept up on them and used their own weapons to slaughter the raiders. Strength like he’d never known flowed through his veins. None of the criminals could stand against him. Three captured slaves he freed from their bonds. Two he took as servants and the pretty young girl he took as his wife._

The image of ancient Etruscan times faded, shifting to Imperial Rome

_The villa was full of his people. His father had been a Roman Senator and he one of Rome’s generals serving on the border with Germania. His family was full of warriors by the Goddess’ hand. They hid in plain sight and more than one ancestor served as a consul in the Republic thanks to the family gifts. His family had wealth and influence, but that also made them a target. Long had they held these lands north of Rome and now they held a large estate in Hispania and a villa near Carthage. His second son, he would give those lands in Hispania to him to raise his family. His youngest was the sailor merchant. The old routes learned from forgotten Phoenician times still served the pack back from their participation in the Punic Wars. North Africa would be his to claim and rule. No longer would his family be bound by one leader; a single alpha._

_Great care was taken to hide their long held secret. The new Imperator distrusted those he could not control and the old families were the most suspect. Already more than one old Senator and his family had been crushed under the new regime. His family had too much to lose and he would see them survive as they had for centuries now. This family could no longer trust in their prestige to protect them. Rome was no longer a Republic; the people no longer held power. The Blood followed the old ways and he nodded at his sister for she was the real alpha of their family. He ruled outside these walls in her name._

_“You fret too much,” she said. “The seer will guide us. We place our trust in fate and we’ve survived this long. Three lines we will have now. The Blood will survive as it is meant to.”_

_“As long as the Imperator doesn’t interfere. He seeks power as few have ever before him.”_

_His sister laughed. “We are owed a favor; the succubus will give us the upper hand if we need it. We will prosper and thrive; it’s what we do…”_

Derek rocked back as the images shifted again.

_He pulled back from looking into the eyes of his nephew. All that he’s seen on his journey through the Silk Road was his now. They gone through Antioch and headed to Babylon. While trade was the official mission, information was the true point of this journey. Roman, Greek, German, Celtic, and ancient Phoenician knowledge the Blood knew, but the Persians and the knowledge of the Far East was necessary._

_The wizards came and went, nasty things full of magic and hidden secrets. The Ancient Egyptians, with their sacred knowledge, didn’t trust them. The priests of the Old ways avoided the ones who practiced dark magics. But to all the different sects, magic outside of the Temple was dark._

_Samarkand loomed soon after the journey through Persia. Much the people of the Blood had learned there and traded knowledge too. No alpha would journey to strange lands, but he was a powerful beta and with him was one of the Blood gifted in magic, but not the shift. Five shifters and three non-shifters of the Blood were in this caravan. They were meeting some with knowledge of the Vedas here. After that trade it was off towards the lands of the Hans. The land of silk. One of the non-shifters was gifted in tongues, he already spoke Persian and could read some Sanskrit. Egyptian and Greek were his main tongues outside of Latin._

_‘Beware,’ spoke a trader as they entered a small trading town. ‘You are far from home and far from your native power. Djinn from the Arabian traders have cursed some here say others. The water is foul. The Persians claim the daevas also linger here. Samarkand is another day. Do not linger here.’_

_The Blood looked around and saw pestilence on some of the natives. The mage of the group nodded. ‘There is a sickness in the air and a strange magic. We are far from home and I am cut off from our strength.’_

_With that they did not even stop and headed for Samarkand. Two texts they traded for four tomes of knowledge. The seers continued to dream of distant lands. The beta whispered to his raven and watched it fly back towards Rome. His mission would continue until the dreams were answered._

The scenes move again and the memories cause his nose to twitch.

_Smoke and soot filled the air. Rome had fallen, but his estate still stood outside the walls. The ravens brought news that the Carthaginian family line was safely in southern Gaul. Hispania was still standing as well. The world was shifting and the Eastern Empire still stood, but the West was done. The family had these plans waiting; the seers for years had warned them and the signs soon became ominous. The rise of the Christians and fall of the Old Gods made everything unstable. His House had to hide what they knew and what they owned. Twice they saved part of the great Library of Alexandria. Those items were hidden even beyond his family’s reach. But they knew some of the most ancient knowledge lived despite what a few Imperators proclaimed. But even knowledge right now was deadly._

_Three carts full of chests packed with family history were being taken to the docks even now. The children were going to his relations in Hispania. It was safer than Italia right now; easier to defend. A dozen of his pack remained with another dozen around to support if necessary. Combined he could take down a regiment of the invaders. There was a reason his estate was still intact._

_The water in the main basin began to shimmer. Alone in the courtyard, he moved to bar the doors._

_‘Take warning,’ the voice in the water said. ‘Long has your family existed, but danger will grow from the new religion. The old ways will be hunted. Send ravens and gather soon as a full clan. A great binding must take place. Above all remember, your strength comes from the many.’_

_Howls of wolves filled the night air, but they fell on his deaf ears. The house Brownies were out cleaning the empty parts of the villa. The spirits of his land were restless. The People of the Cross were out to destroy the old spirits. The temple his ancestors built to the Moon was long abandoned with its scared relics moved._

_‘Pack the whole estate just in case.’ One thousand years they’d lived here. It was only a place._

_A year later all three lines of the Blood gathered. It has taken that long to gather all that was needed. Many have crossed to the other side into the NeverNever; performing tasks to get the required elements. More than one Sidhe now owed the family a personal favor._

_The three alphas have gathered with their emissaries; a witch, a priest, and a druid. Each brought forth the notes and papers from ages past and put them in the large bound blank book._

_‘Blood of the line is required…’ each alpha cut his or her palm and blood spilled onto the golden disc in the middle of the book. More than fifty wolves moved closer with their human brethren numbering almost thirty. Few of the Blood were left to mind their estates._

_The eyes of the three alpha glowed as the emissaries chants grew stronger. The eyes of the wolves all glowed blue in response with the humans’ eyes seeming brighter; a small sprinkling of wolves glow golden – the chosen few given the Gift. The golden disc melted into the leather of the book and formed the triskelion.  All the various notes were inscribed in the front pages of the book. The names of the members of the Blood flowed in fire script into the ledger. The family now had a listing of all gathered; the living, and the recently departed._

_The druid gave the book to one of the humans travelling with the alpha of the mainline. ‘As long as the Blood flows on Earth then the book will know. Only those of the Blood may read what is ’_

_Two days later the whole of the Blood assembled and attacked a much larger group of raiders that had been paid to take them out by a sect of the Cross. All of the wolves achieved the full shift and wiped out the knights. A lone survivor of the squires, Pierre L’Argent, made it to a monastery and recorded the events he witnessed. Three of the Blood tracked him that far and let him take refuge. They have other affairs to attend and were too few to take on that fortification._

 Images come fast a furious after that:

Hispania falls to the Muslims and the Visgothic Kingdom falls. The estate of the Blood survives. The Alpha Lord pays tribute to the new masters of the land as long as his people are safe. His line is the keeper of most of the relics. Italia is a festering warzone and Gaul is not better with the Franks taking over. He will pay and hide his treasure. They will hide their secret from the Umayyad.

The Blood, under false pretenses, take up the mantle of the Templars. Seven ride to the Holy Land to join in the defense of Acre and Jerusalem. In secret they join to monitor the sect and look for ways to hide in Europe. Christians kill all of the Old ways and the Blood must survive.

A dozen of the Blood join the Third Crusade and only one human survives. He returned to the Hispania estate will many scrolls and a smattering of treasure. The Blood in Iberia join the Reconquista and push the Muslims out. The intellectual freedom of the Muslims is lost to the dogmatic nature of the Church, but the Blood must hide and for that they must look like they conform. The French and Italian lines do the same. Ravens go between the three lines. Distant cousins marry and a few new bloodlines are let in. Above all, they look to the dreams of the seers to make sure they survive.

Then came the first voyages overseas into the New World. The old North African line living in France merged with the Italian line and moved in the Low Country in the North. There was more freedom from the Catholic Church. The merchant ties they’d held for centuries worked just as well out of Amsterdam as Narbonne. The alpha of the Spanish line sent several of the Blood to the New World. The hunters had sanction from elements in the Church to find all who opposed Church authority. More than one of the L’Argents joined the Inquisition to destroy all shifters, changlings, fae, and magic users in the world. Money could still protect the Blood. But new places to hide were needed. The blood had a few friends in Egypt and Babylon, but those places were not long term solutions. The Old ways and non-native soils would weaken them. The seers pointed to the New World.

The Blood took the named Hale and was aristocracy in several realms. The book was sent overseas to Cuba into the custody of the Spanish line. Amsterdam was no longer safe for the mainline either. Intellectual thought and independence was frowned upon in too many places. The Islamic world was open, but the Old Ways would die in those lands too. The Blood were half the size they’d been at the fall of Rome. Magic was hunted and the Blood hid.

The Spanish Line secured a large estate in New Spain on the far western coast. The ancient home from Roman Hispania was all but abandoned. The houses and treasure in Cuba was sent to the new estate. Many of the natives died in the Conquest, but the Blood found many who held scared knowledge. More than one was given the ‘Gift’ and Mayan and Aztec information was preserved as best as possible even in the face of Spanish zealotry.

Connections to various Courts allowed the family to buy land in the colonies. Gold still spoke loudest. Michel Hale and part of Northern Line explored part of the lands held by the Iroquois Nation. They traded with the natives and fostered great relations with the tribes. The tribes treated them with reverence for their shaman know they were touched by the spirits of the Moon and Land.

_‘War is coming. The Blood in the Old World is not safe. You must honor your agreements to aid the tribes, but then you must flee west. There is a valley near the coast that will be your home.’_

_Corrin Hale stared at the Fae in front of him. ‘Our Spanish cousins are safe and the family has had little trouble in Amsterdam of late.’_

_The Fae touched the alpha’s head. ‘We warn you of what comes. Your cousin alpha has moved his treasure to Mazatlan. Ruin could come if you fail to listen.’_

_Alphas always followed the advice of seers; it’s how they managed to survive for a thousand years.  He nodded and the Fae left._

_The French lost and with that the natives did too. But he and his family had done what they could. A regiment of British were dead by his hands in payback for the slaughter of a tribe’s children. He accepted the gift from the shaman, but he would not wear it._

_Two years passed since he made his way to the forest. It was full of magic and mystery, but otherwise empty. ‘Beware, Corrin, something sleeps close by. You and your kin must guard this land and its power.’_

Derek blinked as he came out of the trance. The whole history of his family lay at his finger tips. Two hundred years ago, the Spanish line merged with the Northern line under a single alpha. He looked around and ran his finger along the edge of the book. He was now the rightful Hale alpha, but his family hadn’t been this weak since Etruscan times. He knew that his family had all but forgotten its history before coming to California. The Old ways had been lost and now he had to rebuild the family’s strength like they had at the beginning.

The book opened and he watched as the names of his family were marked as deceased. He watched Laura’s name change to red indicating her alpha status and then the small ‘x’ noting her passage.

His name turned red with silver outlines and a large ‘G’ followed it. Next to his name was Stiles’ full name. Tears leaked down his cheek as he took in the names of the lost again. On the opposite page, names appeared of the turned wolves. The ancient ledger of the Hale family was updated.

Stiles cleared his throat as he took in the Hales all looking lost again. “Guys, look!” he pointed to the list of born Hales. “Peter has two blank spots under his name and this Michael Hale doesn’t have an ‘x’ next to his name.”

Peter crowded Stiles and tapped the book. “Michael is alive and from looks of it has two kids.”

“So do you,” Cora snarked. “Talk about a dead-beat dad.”

Derek stared off to the side and let them argue. The information download had his brain on overload and he needed a moment to gather his thoughts. He put out of his mind for the moment the ravens which had been around for _millennia_ with his family. He shook his head and cleared his throat. “Our first priority is now finding Michael. Peter get with Danny and start searching. Stiles, look in the Paranet contacts and find a lead on Rosalind. Seers are integral to the family. Cora, Cameron, help where you can.”

Everyone left and Derek saw his sister in the reflection of the dormant TV. “We knew so little.”

“That’s why I’m here.”

* * *

 

“Why you have a good head on your shoulders from time to time, Scott, I swear there are times when your brain has left your body.” Melissa glanced over at her sulking son. The sniggers from the back made her glance in the rearview mirror. “You aren’t innocent of this either, Isaac. You have plenty of time on your hands to help with all this. Scott has a job to explain some of his wasted time; what’s your excuse?”

Scott hid his smile as Isaac was taking fire from his mom. He knew he’d waited too long and Davis was his only real option since he wanted to be a Vet. Part of him hoped Allison would join them at Davis, but she was going with the Berkeley Bunch.

“Are you even paying attention to me?” Melissa demanded. “You’re so lucky that you can be adorable because otherwise no one would put up with you long.”

More snickering came from the back as Scott’s face fell into a pout. The ruffling of his hair from his mom made him smile a bit, but it broadened when they pulled up to the house that was in a nice neighborhood a few blocks from the school. He liked that it had trees and was three bedrooms with a pool. Erica was getting her own room while he would share with Isaac and the twins would take up the other.

“Well at least this place looks nice,” Melissa commented as they climbed out. The landlord came over and shook her hand. “Nice place you have here.”

Isaac sniffed the air and frowned. Something wasn’t right, but they needed this place. He grabbed Scott’s hand and pulled him along the sidewalk to catch up with Melissa.

“There will be five and I have the down payment and security deposit for all of them. Peter Hale called you?”

The owner rolled his eyes. “Yes, some attorney from Beacon Hills called. I emailed him everything…” He smirked when Melissa thrust the stack of papers at him along with a Cashier’s Check. “I’ll have a cleaning crew come through here again on Saturday and you can move in next Monday.”

Scott piped up again. “Can we get one more walkthrough?”

“Sure…”

Nothing jumped out at Melissa about the house and watching the boys go room to room rather casually helped, but when she went outside she could feel _something_. She loved Stiles to death, but his intuition wasn’t the best. No, she wanted Lydia to do the walkthrough. Stiles could ward, but she trusted Lydia to be the one to feel if there was an issue. “How the hell did all the magic users end up at Stanford?”

* * *

 

Everything that had been taken from the storage ‘cave’ near the old Hale vacation cabin was being moved from the loft to the manor. Derek was confident he could touch the items and look though the books without suffering some kind of catastrophe. It was one of the repositories of family heirlooms that he’d been able to gleam from the jumbled memories.

“We’re going to have a long sit down soon about what you saw,” Marin said as she walked in with Lynn. “Cora and Cameron said you were practically glowing for five minutes. And some of the things here are very old.”

Stiles came running into the room. “The Paranet has a few listings for psychics in Northern California. I figured your mom wouldn’t go far to get one and Peter said you used the same one so…”

Derek pinched the bridge of his nose while motioning for Stiles to continue.

“There is an ‘R. Flores’ listed in Oakland. And it’s listed as a diviner, whatever that is, but it’s the closest I could come to what we’re looking for.”

It was a start at least Derek pondered for a moment. “Shall we put your skills towards organizing all this mess?”

“I asked you weeks ago if you wanted me to look at this…stuff. You said it was too dangerous,” Stiles huffed.

“And it was,” jumped in Lynn. “You are the alpha-mate and until he was recognized by familial blood magic as the rightful alpha, who knows what could have happened. Now, it’s safe…er.”

Danny and Peter were in the main electronics lab running through various databases. “Any hits on him in the DMV?”

“I swear I will put wolvesbane in your shampoo if you don’t back off!” Danny growled. “I have to be careful since I’m already on the NSA list. There are a few hundred hits and you don’t have his social so no, nothing yet!”

Lifting his head, he watched as several crates were moved to one of the vaults. “Some of that is several hundred years old. Maybe magic could find him?”

Rolling his chair further down his workstation, Danny started a new search. “We have more than half the arcane library searchable. It’s the obscure stuff that hasn’t been cataloged. So…familial blood spells…” Fingers dancing as Danny typed in different parameters he started throwing different possibilities up to various monitors around the room.

“Some of that looks promising,” a sweaty and smelly Cameron stated from the doorway. “How is it that you always get out of the heavy lifting, uncle?”

“By design,” Peter clipped back. He reviewed a few of the spells and frowned. “Most of these require a level of proximity that is impossibly small.”

“And most require his blood,” added Cameron. “Looks like it’s the electronic way.”

* * *

 

Anxiety levels steadily rose over the past few days as ‘Departure Day’ started to loom. Lingering symptoms of all the breakups gave way to the reality of college starting. Marin, Lynn, and Melissa were shopping to furnish the rental house in Davis while Cameron was with Peter getting things for his apartment in Palo Alto. Thankfully the Berkeley Bunch were all dorm bound so no extra furnishings were required besides a few mini-fridges.

“I hope you have upped your phone plan,” John said as he walked in the door. “Stiles is freaking about the four hour distance.”

Derek shook his head and flipped another page in his book. The library was his sanctuary from all the mayhem as most of the manor residents were trying to pack. “It’s already been taken care of. I’ve told him to relax and let himself enjoy college.”

“He’s a married man, you know what I mean, and that changes his experiences a bit.” John sat down in one of the soft plush wing chairs. “These are comfortable.”

Derek smiled and nodded. “I also told him that he can’t come home until he’s been there a month. No point in driving back and forth every week. If he really needs to see me then I’ll meet him at Peter’s place in the city.”

“The City,” John said with the air quotes noticeable in his voice. “How cosmopolitan we are…”

“Well, I am a native northern Californian,” snarked Derek. “Anyway, even under my circumstances I was able to enjoy Columbia. He needs to be able to be a college freshman. They all do.”

John clapped Derek on the back. “There is money changing hands right now. I’m trusting you on the one month thing.” He straightened up and pulled out his phone. “Now, Agent Adams sent me a photo of some street art that is showing up all over the Bay Area. Have you seen it before?”

Taking the phone, the alpha looked at the picture and they started enhancing parts of the image. He noticed it came from a secure email. “Confidential?”

“Very.”

Derek nodded. “Those are old markings, look ancient Hebrew or similar. Why would people be tagging that?”

“That is the question she is asking. Given what she and Winchester know, they are being very hush hush about this.”

* * *

 

Marin, Lynn, and Melissa walked into the Davis rental house. Melissa sent Scott to meet with Hammond Beyers and the other wolves. Swiftly the two magic users moved around the house looking at things Melissa didn’t see. The muttering under each lady’s breath was interesting, but Melissa decided to examine the kitchen again to see what the kids would need and how much she was willing to let Derek spend.

Marin walked up stairs and threw some dust into the air; whispering an enchantment that made the dust move around the room in a small cloud. Closing her eyes, she tracked the movements with her inner sight and kept frowning. “There is something around, but not inside…”

Climbing the stairs, Lynn paused as she caught her breath. “Don’t tell Derek or he’ll have me working out more.” She gave Marin a smile. “But yes, there is an odd feeling here, but it isn’t in the house.”

The two of them walked back downstairs and into the kitchen where Melissa was busy making lists. Lynn held up a finger and started listening. Melissa looked up and almost started to speak, but Marin held up a hand stopping her. The main emissary started looking back and forth between the front and rear of the house.

Scott burst through the door, sweating. “Something looks weird outside!”

The three ladies followed Scott out and stopped cold. Lynn raised her hands and started muttering while Marin threw more powder in the air and chanting. The two spells combined and formed a wall as a black cloud in the sky started heading right towards them.

It took Melissa a moment before she grabbed Scott. “That looks like a swarm of locusts!” She shoved her son through the front door and waited for the magic the ladies were working to…work. The powder from Marin expanded and started to rise into the air. The swarm was getting closer and heading right for the house. As the first part of the swarm entered into the expanding powder, Lynn slapped her hands to together and both vanished in a quick flash.

Melissa stepped out and looked around. “What was that?”

“Another spell, but more of an illusion this time,” Lynn answered. She looked at Marin and frowned. “Someone is watching movements around here closely.” She glanced inside where Scott was on the phone with one of his pack. “I suspect Scott’s presence is disrupting something. Lydia and Stiles will have to ward this house before they move in. Remind me to go through some of the artifacts we found from the Hale storage cavern. I have a feeling there are all kinds of things that might be useful here.”

“Is this how all of college is going to be?” Scott asked while texting. “I was hoping for something with less violence and more sex honestly.”

Melissa threw her hands up and shook her head. “You know, you sound just like your father.”

* * *

 

Most of the clan was gathered at the manor that Friday evening. It was the last free weekend of the summer and, despite all the drama, all the recent high school graduates wanted to spend time with each other. Or rather, spend time around each other. The large basement den, workout room, and computer lab were occupied. Lydia had her feet up and gladly let Cora massage her shoulders. Allison was in the process of beating the tar out of Aiden, Isaac, and Jackson at some fighting game. Porter was doing yoga with Cameron and Erica in the gym. Chris, Peter, and Ethan were up in the kitchen making snacks for everyone. Danny, Stiles, Boyd, and Scott were in the computer lab doing who knew what.

“Stop thinking so hard, it makes it impossible to get the tension out of your shoulders,” chided Cora. “Do you want posture issues when you’re thirty? Didn’t think so. Lean back and relax!”

Allowing her eyes to close, she felt when Derek sat down near her and knowing him, he had a book in hand. But it was the _gravity_ that accompanied the alpha that truly stood out. All of the clan had connections and a _feel_ , but Stiles shone brightest and Derek had a weight to him that she could not explain.

“Thinking again,” Cora muttered in her ear. “I’m sure you don’t want me to stop…”

“No, please continue,” Lydia sighed. The sounds of all the activities began to blend into a white noise.

‘ ** _A r a f e l…_** ’

Lydia’s eye’s opened again and everything was gray; time stopped again. Reaching out with her hand, she traced a sigil in the air. It alone stood out in color in the otherwise gray world. She traced another sigil as the word ‘Arafel’ was whispered again.

Suddenly, where Derek was sitting a figure was there shinning like bright moonlight and Lydia took a deep breath.

“Where were you?” asked Derek who was suddenly at her side. He looked her up and down as was quickly joined by Stiles. “Did you sense anything?”

Stiles shook his head and started looking around. “All the wards are intact.” He looked back at Lydia and frowned. “I don’t know.”

She stood up and stretched. “It was like last time except no creepy ghosts came up to me. All I heard was ‘Arafel’ but I don’t know what that means.”

Silence filled the room as the clan moved closer. Danny cleared his throat. “It’s Hebrew. It’s the cloud darkness before Judgment Day.”

Nothing was said for more than a heartbeat. Peter sighed and started handing out cookies. “Well at least we can enjoy a snack before the end.”

Derek stood up and motioned for everyone to move back. “We will look into this, but I doubt the great Almighty is coming down this weekend or this year.”

All the looks from the betas and humans made Derek chuckle darkly. “I’d still give it less than a ten percent chance. You are all still going to the beach tomorrow.”

“And you?” asked Allison.

“I have an errand to run.” He glanced at his watch and then at the teens. “It’s a three hour drive to the beach. You might want to go to bed early.”

* * *

 

Derek stepped out of his Camaro and made his way into the large farmers’ market. The smells of all the produce, spices, and people were a bit overwhelming, but there was an air of happiness and health about the place that made the discomfort in his nose worth it. The front of the market was open with several stalls all over the place, but he was interested in the section in the warehouse behind the open market.

The warm weather made Derek come in short sleeves and no jacket. The three hour drive down to Oakland wasn’t nearly as nice as the drive to the beach, but he needed to do this. People thinned out this far back and he walked through an open door to the back area.

Here it was more like a bazaar; these weren’t fruits and vegetables. Here herbal remedies; legal and illegal, were sold. The Paranet information pointed to the R. Flores here in Oakland at this warehouse.

Slowing his steps, Derek looked around as he removed his sunglasses. It was already dark enough in here and it impeded his enhanced eyesight. The voices back here were hushed barely above a whisper unlike the loud voices outside. Carefully scanning each area, Derek moved around and nodded as he passed small booths.

Finally he came across the area that felt right. He paused and glanced around. Many of the people in the booths close by were folding blankets over their goods or closing blinds to their makeshift shops. A flutter of a heartbeat gave him all the warning he had as a woman charged him from behind. Derek blocked her kick and then used his arm to keep her knife from finding his flesh. The smell let him know that it was poisoned. Her dark features and black clothing allowed her to move into the shadows, but he was a werewolf. He could adapt.

Waiting for his opening, he continued to counter her moves while she attacked aggressively. He pulled a blow and knocked her off balance. Instantly he changed one hand into a claw, grabbed her throat, and pushed her up against a wall. His eyes shone like brilliant moonlight while allowing a hint of his fangs to show. “Who are you? Why did you attack me?”

She brought her knife up and sliced his forearm. It only served to tighten his grip. “What?”

Derek watched as the black lines from the wolvesbane formed around the wound, but then it closed and the poison expelled. “Who are you?”

“Enough!” came a voice from behind them. “Put her down Lord Hale. Braeden, it’s fine. We had to know who you were. None can copy your aura, Derek.”

He dropped his attacker and turned to see a diminutive Mexican grandmother type standing there. “And you are?”

“I’m Rosalinda Flores, Derek Hale, and my, have you changed. Last time I saw you, you were a wee tyke in diapers.” She motioned for him. “Come, we will talk inside while Braeden keeps watch. We have much to discuss.”

Intrigued, Derek followed her through a door and down a short hallway into a cramped office. He frowned as he took in the area. “You sure this is safe?”

“Concrete wall behind me and the two stall on either side are friends who know things, Derek. Now, let me get a good look at you.” She placed her hands on his and closed her eyes. After a few minutes she released them and wiped her eyes. “So much pain and anguish. You’ve been touched and touched much. Your destiny was to lay on another path, but the future is never written in stone. Why are you here?”

“I need answers. My mother knew you…”

She interrupted him. “Your mother was my friend. I’ve lost so many of those over the years. Talia, your family’s death, hit many of us hard. Great evil was done and its stain lingers. Derek, you will have to do double duty. Be your own lore-master and the alpha. But you can do it. Ask me what you will, but be specific.”

Derek ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath. “Mom did something when she was dying; cast a spell of sorts…”

Handing Derek a cookie, Rosalinda nodded. “She was a powerful alpha and in full command of her Guardianship. She used that power to place a memory spell over your territory. But all such spells have been warped, cracked, or broken in the wake of Night of the Red Court. I warned her, along with some friends, of danger facing her territory. We assumed it was the vampire offensive against the wizards. Your home is at a place of power and that made it a target.” She placed a hand on his and gently squeezed it. “I know she made some preparations.”

“The house in San Francisco that Peter can’t remember?”

She shook her head gently. “I don’t know what exactly she did.” Rosalinda paused and looked away. Turning back she sighed. “There is a way, but it’s dangerous.”

“What?”

“To find out what your mother did. The spell only worked on Beacon Hills and the people in it. A small group of hunters learned of the Fall of Talia Hale. They went to claim a token…”

Derek rocked back and growled. “They came for her claws. Where are they?”

“Find them and they can be used to learn what she did. Braeden will help you. All I know is those hunters base out of northern Mexico.” Rosalinda stood up and walked over and gave Derek a hug. “Your fate is no longer readable. The gift that gave you those eyes also removed you from our sight. Only those touched like and can ‘see’ will be able to watch you. Be warned, young lord, the Fomor have shape-shifters that can take over a human form. They search for something very old and powerful near you. Father Laughlin always warned of an ancient power up north. The Spanish learned of this early, though how no one knows, and built a mission near Davis that watched the valley.”

“That’s a little far…”

Rosalinda laughed. “It would be many days journey from here to your home, so too with the priests that lived in that mission. The Spanish didn’t have the strength to project that far. Davis is as far inland as they would want this far north.”

“There is something in Davis now. It has already attacked some of my betas.”

She closed her eyes and after a moment minutes shook her head. “It isn’t clear. Go home and I’ll have Braeden contact you when she knows enough for you to journey to Mexico. Bring me your mate someday soon. He’s special; he saw something very important that Night.”

Derek stood and was opening the door when he turned back to the seer. “Does the term ‘Arafel’ mean anything to you?”

Here aged hand covered her shocked gasp. “It has a dark portent to it. Given the other signs it means things are further along than we can grasp. I’ll have Braeden get back to you as soon as possible.”

* * *

 

“It is patently unfair that all of you get to look like that while I look like this,” Stiles moaned as Cameron, Derek, and Porter helped carry in Danny, Lydia, and Stiles’ things. He was sweaty, covered in dust, and tired. All three had their shirts off and simply looked stunning.

Danny flexed his shirtless torso and smiled at a few passing football players. “I already love college.”

“Me too,” Lydia said as she pulled her lollipop from her mouth. “Simply delicious.”

“Down you two!” John muttered. “It was easier moving the Berkeley Bunch than you three. At least Cora, Allison, Jackson, and Boyd didn’t start drooling over every hot co-ed they saw.”

“Boyd is meant for Erica, Allison doesn’t want to date right now, Cora likes to play hard to get, and Jackson’s libido needs some help,” snarked Lydia.  “As for the Davis group, they move tomorrow. And if you think Ethan and Aiden aren’t going to peacock around then you are sadly mistaken.”

Cameron rolled his eyes and gave Derek a hug. “I’ll talk to you soon. You three call me if you need anything except a ride. Suffer like freshman should.” He winked and took off running.

Everyone was settled and Derek pulled Stiles to the side. “Be careful and remember, enjoy this time. I’ll see you in a month.”

“I really should go to Mexico with you. Yeah, I know ‘school,’ but we both know there could be trouble.” Stiles pulled his mate into a hug. “I’ll miss you.”

Derek kissed him. “It will be fine. Enjoy your new roommate and text anytime.” He walked away and waved as Stiles went back in the building.

The dorm was nothing special, but it home for a few months. Lydia was in the next building over and Danny was three doors down. He could survive. It’s an hour train ride to get to Berkeley from here and another hour to Davis from there. San Francisco is close so he’s not in the middle of nowhere anymore. He can cope. His main concern was getting along with his future roommate. Stiles knew he was lucky coming here first and claiming sides to start. It struck him that he was worried. Derek was four hours away and Scott two. Something supernatural was near his best friend and his mate was about to go to Mexico searching for who knew what.

Deciding that a shower was more important than moping, he headed for them. The dorm was only half full as tomorrow as the official move in day, but the four of them voted to get settled. As he entered the shower room, he sniffed the air and knew he felt magic. Soft moans from one of the shower stalls along with the movement behind the glass told Stiles someone was getting lucky already.

“Whatever,” he mumbled as he went into his own stall. “Going to be me and my right hand for a month. Stupid werewolf lover getting me used to sex and then cutting me off,” he kept grumbling as he got clean. He came out of the shower as the two guys were exiting the other one. Both were gorgeous and built. However one was stumbling and the other looked like the cat that ate the canary.

“Thanks, man,” mumbled the stumbling Adonis as he left the room with only a towel over his shoulder.

The other future model turned to Stiles and smiled. “I could always go for round two.”

Stiles felt a stirring and noticed the man was trying to get him to look into his eyes. Everything snapped into place. “Aw hell, just what I need on my first night here; a damned incubus”


	3. Birds of Prey

Running in tandem, Cora and Allison jogged along Piedmont Ave as they started a routine. Neither one said much as they finished their third mile. California Memorial Stadium loomed before them as they continued their course.

“Does it feel weird to you to be away from Beacon Hills?” Cora asked between breaths.

“Wasn’t raised there and moved a lot so it’s not that foreign.” Allison increased her tempo forcing Cora to match. “I’m more worried what Jackson and Boyd will do with all this free time.”

The setting sun cast Berkeley into twilight. Cora stopped and made Allison stop as well. The werewolf did a slow turn to take in the whole area. “You trust me?”

“Yes,” Allison answered without hesitation.

“I think we’re being followed. As we run there are steps several feet behind us, but we stop and they stop. It’s not right for an echo either.”  Cora moved them across the street to start their return run.

Allison stopped and stared at some graffiti tagged on the bus stop. “Cora!”

In artful, colorful letters stood out the word ‘ ** _Arafel’_** plain as day. Cora shivered despite the late summer heat. Quickly she turned again and spotted nothing out of the ordinary. Allison pulled her phone out of her arm band and snapped a photo.

Rubbing her arms to get the goose bumps down, Cora swallowed audibly, “We need to get moving. We’ll talk it over with the guys tomorrow while we’re at Davis.”

“We need to let Lydia and Stiles know. They may have the firepower down there, but only Cameron has any muscle!” Allison started to jog off and Cora quickly followed. “Maybe my dad knows a way to get a guard or two around Stanford.”

Part of Cora wanted that tag to be coincidence, but she knew better; there was no such thing in their world.

* * *

 

It took Stiles all of two seconds to summon up a ball of lightning, but he thought better of it with all the water around and the fact that he was still wet as well. He had little control over water, but he knew how to change temperatures well. The guy in front of him could stand to cool off a bit.

“Whoa, wait a sec!” wailed the mostly wet naked guy in front of him. “It’s not what you think!”

“Oh really?” Stiles snarked as he gathered his power about him. “I didn’t just feel you try to use your sexual whammy skills on me?”

The hunk wrapped his towel tighter and shrugged. “What can I say; you’re cute and that big lug was fun, but short on stamina.” He smiled again and then blanched at the flickers of ice coming from Stiles hand. “No need to get violent!”

Stiles narrowed his eyes and frowned. “Okay, pretty boy, let’s go to my room and talk about this. I don’t want you to accidently whammy someone else since you’re not satisfied with one conquest. What’s your name?”

They walked into Stiles room and Stiles was grateful his roommate hadn’t made it to campus yet. A quick text sent to Danny and Stiles motioned for his new ‘friend’ to sit. “Name?”

“Leighton.” He stopped when someone barged in looking pissed.

“Really, Stiles, a 911 text?” Danny did a double take and then looked over at Stiles and then back at Leighton again. “Who’s this?”

Stiles motioned at Leighton and gave a sarcastic smile. “Leighton the incubus; caught him using his whammy on some jock.”

Danny looked over Leighton again and wet his lips. “Is he dangerous?”

“I’m right here! And no I’m not dangerous! I’m only partially an incubus. My grandfather was a full-fledged one. All I got was the charm, beauty, and sex drive.” He winked at Danny and licked his lips. “Massive sex drive at that.”

“Oh stop you two!” Stiles threw his pillow at Danny. He pointed at the frat boy wannabe and scowled. “Don’t think I won’t castrate you if you keep using that whammy on people!”

“Stiles, he’s not doing anything to me,” Danny said, practically purring. “Thanks to Dr. Keys, I know when I’m being magicked and he’s not doing anything. Though I know what I might want to do…”

Leighton smirked at Stiles and then winked at Danny. “Anyway, I’m only partly supernatural, but I do like to seduce arrogant straight boys who think they’re gods’ gifts to women. That one plays on the football team and loves to lead all the girls on, fuck them, and then dump them. Not to brag, but he will be walking funny tomorrow at practice and his roommate will also notice my hand prints on his hips. Not saying the team will do anything, but Mr. Super Stud will now have a new itch that needs scratching.” He smiled again, but it dropped at Stiles and Danny’s frowns. “What?”

“I’ve never heard of partial incubi,” Danny said. “And what you’re doing is very close to being a vigilante.”

The tall tanned blond chuckled. “Any boy I’ve fucked has been willing, but they get major buyer’s remorse afterwards. Anyway, yes, I’m not anything like my grandfather and he’s cool because Nana is a sorceress. Dad married a full scale witch and all together led to me.” He stood up and flexed. The towel dropped and Danny’s eyes bugged out. “There are a few perks to being a supernatural offspring based on sexual attraction.”

Stiles had enough and grabbed the towel from the floor and flung it in the upperclassman’s face. “Enough! You get to camp out here tonight and tomorrow you’ll meet Lydia and Cameron. Not that I don’t trust you, but I don’t trust you.”

Danny rubbed his chin and nodded. “Let me get changed into something more comfortable. I’m not leaving you here alone with him.”

“What did I do that warrants such hostility? I fucked a cute jock and he came; I should get a reward for popping that cherry.”

At a loss for words, Stiles blinked a few times and then motioned for Danny to go. “I…I…just…sit!”

Danny winked again as he headed to the door. “You’ll find out tomorrow. I’ll be back in a few.”

* * *

 

“Why does it have to be so hot?” Isaac whined for the fifth or sixth time.

Scott lost count by now. He rolled his eyes as the tall beta kept complaining about the heat. The front lawn had boxes on it as well as some furniture. He groaned watching Jackson and Boyd compete to see who could stack more boxes and carry them.

“This is not a competition boys!” Melissa yelled from her car. She motioned for Erica and Cora to come over. “I have lunch for you guys.” She almost laughed as the ears of all the werewolves perked up in unison.

“I still don’t see how we got roped into this, but the group at Stanford got out of it,” Allison noted as she started organizing the kitchen. “Poor Erica is going to have her hands full.”

Cora placed a box on one of the counters and nodded. “It’s bad enough living with them at the manor, but in these close quarters, Isaac would be dead. Or the twins. Scott has those damned puppy dog eyes that allow him to weasel his sorry ass out of trouble.”

Melissa walked in and laughed as she heard Cora’s comment. “Oh honey, you simply have to develop an immunity. As his mother, I have one. Erica, if you ever have trouble with him, call me.”

“Mom!”

The yell from Scott had all the ladies giggling. Melissa nodded at Erica and winked at Cora. “See, he knows he can’t get to me like he does all of you.” She gave Allison a squeeze. “Your immunity should be kicking in since he’s your ex.”

“Oh, so I’d have to date him to be immune,” Cora stated. “I’ll wait.”

The twins carried in some mattresses and Boyd followed with a dresser. “You could help, Cora and Erica, instead of chatting,” snarked Ethan.

Allison and Cora traded a look as they guys left the house to get more boxes. They hadn’t mentioned it to Jackson or Boyd, waiting instead for most of the pack to get gathered. “Stiles and Lydia did come and place some wards, right?”

Melissa gave the girls a look and nodded. “Yes, and Peter went through all the various artifacts and sent over two Medicine rugs that have protective enchantments. Why?”

“We’ll talk later,” Cora said as she grabbed a dolly and headed back out.

Scott stopped listening to the conversation or argument in the house and helped load up more flat carts. He stopped when a beautiful girl ran up to the driveway. She was in jogging shorts and a shorts bra. Even covered in sweat Scott thought she was amazing.

“Moving in a little late don’t you think?” She asked as she kept her legs moving.

“We tend to procrastinate.”

“Go away, Aiden,” barked Scott. He walked out of the moving truck and smiled at the girl. “I’m Scott.”

“Kira. I live on campus, but run this way.” She smiled at him and giggled as his smile reveled his dimples. “You’re cute. Well you’re busy…”

“Oh stop!” Isaac yelled as he came back out. “No flirting while there is work to be done. Give her your number and get back to work.”

“You forget who is,” Scott bit back the words about to come out of his mouth. He glared at Isaac who shrugged and moved more stuff into the house. “He’s kinda right. School starts tomorrow.” He pulled out his phone and gave it to her pleading with his eyes.

Kira grabbed it and started keying something. She nodded as she pointed to her arm. “Hence why your friend said you procrastinate.  I’ll see you around, cutie! Text me later and we’ll compare schedules!” She paused when she noticed a car pulling up. “Ugh.”

The car pulled up and out came a short slightly heavy man. The man noticed Kira and gave her a tight smiled. “Ms. Yukimura.”

She rolled her eyes and jogged off. He turned towards Scott and assessed him.  “You’re the alpha I was told that is going to live here. Interesting.” He came closer and nodded. “Hammond Byers, I protect some of the ‘specials’ that live around here.”

“I remember you from the church the night we got attacked.” Scott walked over and offered his hand. “Lynn and Patrick told me everything was arranged.”

“To a degree,” the older man shrugged and looked around. “You have some power in you, but don’t read as a strong alpha.”

“He’s strong enough when need be,” Allison stated as she walked up. “Don’t mistake his sweet disposition as weakness. I’m Allison by the way.”

Byers looked her up and down, rubbing his chin calculating the new variable. “I was told five wolves were going to be here. You read as human and I read eight wolves around the house.”  He kept looking around eyes narrowing as he locked in on the house.

There was a shift in the air, subtle in nature, but all the wolves that were outside noticed it at once. Jackson came out of the house, looking around, clearly on alert. He moved closer and smiled at the older mage. “Hi, Jackson Hale, Lynn and Patrick said you might stop by.”

The name hung out there and Byers’ gaze turned all around. “There is a Hale here and he isn’t the alpha.” He took in Jackson’s clothes and build. He looked over the assembling group and narrowed in on Cora. “I take that back; there are two Hales here. That was never mentioned.”

Scott let everything play out in front of him. He didn’t have a cohesive mini-pack yet and a clear second with that. Territories were tricky things and Derek had been clear to keep the pissing contests to a minimum. Jackson was a dick and Scott was fine letting him take the brunt of whatever jostling was going on since he lived an hour away.

“That’s because we don’t live here, but are part of the same pack,” Jackson retorted. “There will be lots of us here from time to time, including our friends from Stanford.”

“Part of the arrangement requires advance notice if the Hale Alpha is coming to visit. We have too many individuals that might feel threatened by that sort of power. Just like you can’t recruit or intimidate those under my protection.” Byers moved closer to Scott as he spoke.

Boyd and Isaac stepped in front, cutting the local protector off from his destination. A feral smile graced Jackson’s face as he stepped closer. “Including associates of our clan, we are over two dozen strong; we don’t have to recruit. But so we’re clear, we aren’t recruiting anyway.”

“My brother is too busy dealing with other matters to get into debates over what should neutral territory,” Cora said as she moved forward. With a glance everyone went back to work. Scott stayed right behind her, but silent. “Universities are traditionally neutral per the California Pack Council and nothing has changed since my mother died. Derek has spoken to the other permanent members and confirmed this. You were notified as a courtesy, but you aren’t an alpha. By tradition, all omegas in the area should meet Scott out of the same courtesy. Further, Derek is a member of the Summer Court under the Accords and has full standing as a Border Lord and is the acknowledged Lord Holder; even the White Council recognizes this as does the White Court.” She raised an eyebrow at Byers, baiting him.

Scott stepped up and placed a hand on Cora’s shoulder. “I think we can calm down now. Thanks, Cora; I’ll take it from here.” He moved up and smiled at Byers. “Look, I’m going to be here for the majority of four years, if not longer. Outside of extenuating circumstances, we aren’t expanding the pack. I will keep in touch with you since there is something around here that doesn’t want me here.”

Byers nodded and started towards his car. “Your presence is disruptive, but that Hale is right. It is also clear to those in the know that your clan has some strong allies among the various nations; that paints a huge target on your back. I am not without resources either.”

Scott watched as Byers drove away. Jackson came up to him and growled. “Something isn’t right here. I didn’t know he was that much of a jackass.”

“No, he wasn’t, but something changed.” Scott moved to keep unloading the truck. He spotted Aiden and grinned. “Text Danny and tell him what happened. We may need to do some research.”

Allison stepped up and placed a hand on Scott’s shoulder. “Cora and I need to speak to all of you. If you could arrange for a full Skype session with Lydia and Stiles in a bit?”

It took Scott a moment to really register Allison and Cora’s disposition. He even noted Jackson’s assessment of the ladies. He nodded. “Aiden ask Danny to arrange a video conference in an hour. Our connection is active.”

* * *

 

Lydia handed Cameron his iced coffee and frowned at the state of his apartment. “You’re supposed to have the cool place to hangout. This place is a mess!”

His apartment was near campus and not cheap, but it was still full of boxes and his furniture was haphazardly arranged. “It’s not a dorm room, Lydia; takes longer to organize.”

She wandered around and cleared her throat and poked at a pile of clothes in the living room. “I hope those are yours.”

“If you’ve learned anything you should know that born wolves aren’t shy. I don’t like clothes in general and if you show up randomly might find me very naked.” He moved over to pick up his discarded clothes and threw them into his bedroom. “What?”

“You are such a boy!” She shoved some books off the loveseat and sat down. “Where are the two idiots? They claimed it was an emergency and now they aren’t here.”

The door banged open and Stiles led Leighton in with Danny bringing up the rear. “This is Leighton. Leighton that is an alpha werewolf named Cameron and that is the scariest woman you will ever want to meet named Lydia. Guys, this is a partial incubus who likes boys.”

Cameron and Lydia traded looks before glancing over at Danny. He raised his hands in surrender. “He found this guy fucking some other guy in the showers yesterday.” 

The jock rolled his eyes and offered his hand. “I don’t know why Stiles is being a jerk, but I’m Leighton Harper. Damn, you’re hot too.” He looked Cameron up and down before smiling at Stiles. “I think I might forgive you for being a dick since I got to meet these two.”

“Partial incubus?” Lydia asked. She pulled her purse closer and pulled out her tablet. Fingers flying over the keys, she logged into the Manor’s servers and the online bestiary. “Danny, our next project is getting all those books they found near the Hale’s vacation home put in the archive.” She glanced over several items and her frown became more pronounced. “Not much information on your type, Leighton.”

“You guys are really suspicious.” Leighton plopped down on the floor and started stretching. “Dude, you need a rug or something. These hardwoods suck!” he stretched out and then glared at Stiles. “Okay, now why are you being such an asshole? I mean Nana warned me that White Council types are a bunch of jerks with sticks up their asses, but you seriously take the cake.”

Danny plopped down next to the upper classman. “We come from a town in Northern California that is a magnet for supernatural issues. It’s made us a bit jaded to surprises.”

“I’m from South Texas, well my family is from Virginia, but I was born in Alice, Texas. I still haven’t heard how my family ended up in the ass end of nowhere. Look, I get trouble happens. Mom used to tell me about all the vampire trouble at the border.

“National media loved to portray it as drug war shit, but it wasn’t. There was a vampire nation down in Mexico and Central America that was bad news. We were far enough away that my parents didn’t worry too much, but they did. Dad may be supernatural and mom a fairly powerful witch, but I’m just a good looking kid.” He smiled at them and frowned when he saw their somber faces. “What?”

“How much do you know about the supernatural?” Cameron asked.

“Enough to know she’s not exactly human. I have a sixth sense and some magical immunity, but not enough to get caught up in that world. I do have a few surprises up my sleeves. Grandpa taught me some things.” He stood up and stretched. “Nice meeting all of you except asshole over there. You don’t have to be a dick, you know.”

Stiles frowned and then glared at Lydia after she elbowed him in the ribs. “I apologize for jumping to conclusions.”

Gracing Danny with a brilliant smile, Leighton moved towards the door. “You need to check in with Prof McNamara. She runs an informal club for people like us. We keep an eye out, all universities do now, because our kind get snatched up and vanish without a trace.” He left without another word.

Cameron stood up and stretched as well. “Danny, write up a report and send it to Derek and copy Lynn on it. Stiles, do something like that again and I’ll have Derek punish you.”

“What? I…he was being all…he’s an incubus!”

“And a potential ally you almost alienated!” Lydia smacked him in the head again. “For that you are buying us lunch. And don’t say you are broke because I _know_ Derek added you to his credit card accounts.”

Stiles pouted. “He said to use those in an emergency!”

Slapping Stiles on the back, Cameron laughed. “It is an emergency when you need to keep your pack-mates from beating you up.”

Lydia stopped in her tracks as she checked a text message. Danny was reading his and moved to the computer in Cameron’s living room.

“What has you both spooked?” Stiles asked as he headed to the kitchen to grab a drink. “What?”

On the large screen television was the image that Allison captured at Berkeley. Cameron moved closer. “Who saw this?”

“Cora and Allison saw it when they were jogging last night. They want to talk about it while they’re at Scott’s.” Danny scrolled through a few more messages. “They haven’t informed Derek yet.”

“Don’t,” Cameron ordered. “He and Peter are heading down to San Diego tomorrow. They need their heads in that more than this at the moment.”

Lydia raised an eyebrow at that declaration. “We need as much information as we can get and keeping this from Derek isn’t going to help us.”

“No, but I can have my dad send it to Agent Adams. She’s in San Francisco and she might be able to inquire discreetly if this is a new tagging thing.” Stiles shrugged as Lydia glared at him.

“Fine, but when he roars I’m going to be the first one to point fingers at all of you.” 

* * *

 

If Derek had to hear Peter complain one more time he was going to rip his tongue out. See if the Gamma wolf would heal from that.

“It’s not nice to mutter so loud, nephew,” Peter smirked. “But we did have to get up hours before dawn to drive to Redding to fly to San Francisco to fly down to San Diego. And you’d think our Black Cards would get us better service at the rental counter.”

Knowing discretion was the better part of valor; Derek bit his tongue and huffed. Being an Alpha werewolf and Guardian should restrain his need for sarcasm back, but he still wanted to say something. He checked his phone again and saw nothing from the mini packs. Something was up, but he had to let Cameron and Scott handle it. They were capable and Cora and Allison made a formidable team. However, it was the first day of school and he really wanted to know if they actually _went_ to class.

“Finally,” Peter snarked as the clerk handed him the keys. “Your corporate headquarters will be hearing about this! Trying to get me an economy car when I ordered something with class!”

“Come on, Peter!” Derek practically drug his uncle away from the counter. He was grateful Stiles wasn’t with them because he could practically hear a ‘dog with a bone’ comment, inflection and all. “I’ll drive, you navigate!”

“Are you kidding? I fought to get this car and I’m going to drive it. You need to act like an aristocrat anyway and let people chauffer you.” Peter shoved Derek towards the passenger side. “Don’t ride in the back.”

Again, Derek decided it wasn’t worth the argument and got into the waiting car. After twenty minutes they approached the Del Mar Heights exit. “According to this, Michael lives off of Mar Scenic Dr.”

Route guidance was a bit slow to give commands and they had to double back once as they drove down a short street that ended in a cul-de-sac and opened up to a beautiful park.  The houses were close enough to be a neighborhood, but also far enough apart to give privacy. The large Torrey Pines Extension offered plenty of room for wolves to run if Michael had a pack. Derek took a deep breath, assuming all their research was accurate and this was his cousin Michael and not some other Hale on the CHP database.

Getting out of the car, Peter and Derek looked around as they stretched; the weariness of travelling all day fading as their muscles moved again. Peter raised a finger to keep Derek from speaking. At a volume only a werewolf could hear, Peter clipped, “I sense something amiss.” Since dying, Peter’s strength wasn’t the same, but his senses were the best around.

Derek nodded as he did a three-sixty turn and took in the full view. Since his encounter with a demonically enhanced, necromancer possessed, Gerard Argent, and fully seating his Guardian mantle, Derek was far more attuned to magic. He could sense it far better than he used to, practically taste it sometimes. Magic was in the air and a threat too; everything was far too still. There were no noises, save for those coming from the avenue down the block.

From behind the hedge blocking the view of the driveway came a roar, a blur attacking Peter full on. Years of training allowed Peter to pivot the attack and throw his attacker into the street near a parked car. He dropped into a crouch, fangs bared, and eyes blazing blue.

Derek turned to face the direction of the house. Magic filled the air, gathering around him, but Derek reached for his center and pulled on the power of his mantle, however weakened it was by distance, and the power given to him by the Goddess. A haze formed in front of him and his sight tried to cut out, but he pulled on his strength and his eyesight cleared. In seconds, a werewolf was on him, but Derek’s training kicked in. Automatically he moved, avoiding the blows that were coming fast and furious.

An angry scent filled the air, but something familiar registered in Derek forcing him to stop. “Michael…” he trailed off.

The werewolf stopped mid move and shifted back to fully human. He looked over at Peter, who had the other attacker restrained, and then the man he was fighting. “No, it can’t be.” Michael walked over to Derek, his eyes brimming with unshed tears. “You all died, I felt it.” His eyes flashed red.

Peter walked over with the teen under one arm. “He yours?” he was slightly put of breath, but gave Michael a quizzical look. “Are you alright?”

“You were in a coma,” Michael stated in disbelief. “You…died.”

Shaking his head, Derek walked over and held out his wrist. “It’s me. We’re alive.” He closed his eyes and Michael took his wrist and inhaled. The tension melted in the air and along with it the taste of magic. Derek was suddenly enveloped in a hard tight hug from Michael.

“Little brother…” Michael choked out. Leaning into Derek’s neck, he inhaled again, shuddering as he did so. He pulled back quickly and looked around. “We’ve lingered on the street too long. Brett, recon the block and come in through the tennis court.” The teenager took off while Michael pointed up the driveway. “Come.”

Peter looked at the large house that sat on the edge of the large park. “Secluded area, large house, cul-de-sac, privacy hedge, and access to this huge park, good job.” They walked up the long drive way heading towards the door.

The front door opened and out ran a little boy, no older than three. “Daddy!”

Michael swept him up and smiled. “Hi sweetheart. I need you to meet some very important people. This is my Uncle Peter and your Uncle Derek. This little tyke here is Nicholas. My wife is at work and our daughter is at school. Jasmine is five. Emily, can you come take Nicky for his nap?”

A young woman came out that had both Derek and Peter looking at Michael with concern on their faces. Michael held up his hand as the lady took Nicky from his arms and headed back into the house and up the stairs.

“Emily has known my wife’s family for years.” He led them inside and past the stairs and into a sunken den that over looked the Torrey Pines Extension. “If I had known…” Michael looked away for a second before staring at his long lost relatives. “Is anyone else alive?”

Derek and Peter traded a look before Peter nodded and Derek began to speak. “Laura and I survived; we went off to New York. Cora escaped and was harbored by a friendly pack for years. Cameron escaped and the Fae got him to his mother in Australia. The Fae mentioned lots of darkness that night. Magic that impeded them.”

“Where is Laura? I can tell you’re an alpha, Derek. Where is she?” Michael asked. The looks on the other Hales’ faces told him the tale. “How?”

“Before we get to that,” Peter interjected. “How did you escape?”

Michael leaned back and closed his eyes. His voice was flat, speaking to the deeply emotional nature of the subject. Slowly he began, “I was out jogging. Aunt Talia sent out warnings that something was up. The Seers she knew all agreed that Darkness was coming. We knew through our connections that the Wardens were decimated and the White Council vulnerable. Down here there were already rumbles of increased vampire activity. The Battle in Chicago told us not all was lost, but California was at risk.

“I had plenty of leave available from the Corps after I finished the two tours in Afghanistan. It was not problem to be there. Still I always loved running in the woods and I was on my way back when I caught the smell of smoke. As fast as I could I made it back. Smoke, so much smoke, but wolvesbane too filled the air. It choked me and I felt like I’d been hit in the head, my vision swam and I became disoriented.

“The next thing I knew I was at a hospital in Sacramento. The doctor was a friend of the family. I’d been out for two weeks. One of my friends from the Corps was there. The doc covered my tracks and I went back to Beacon Hills and saw you in a coma, Peter. I wasn’t told that you and Laura were alive, Derek. In fact, I assumed you were dead because my eyes were red.”

“That was unexpected. It can be added to the mystery we’re investigating.” Derek took a deep breath and continued. “Mom, was a Guardian and had a Mantle of Power. When she died, she used that power to cast a spell of forgetfulness on the town and as it related to us. But we aren’t sure why. I tracked down Rosalinda Flores and she was a seer who warned mom of the danger.”

“I met her more than once.” Michael looked back and forth between his uncle and cousin for a moment. “There is something else isn’t there?”

Derek nodded. “Something moved against us after the Wardens were neutralized. I…it was partly my fault. I was dating Kate Argent in secret. She was paid by unknowns to get rid of us and get to the magical confluence under the Preserve.”

“Aunt Talia always said there was a secret we had to keep safe. But neither Laura nor I were ever told. What happened to her?” Michael pressed, “What happened to Laura?”

“Once we left Beacon Hills, we lived in New York for six years. It sort of left our minds until we got something from home; it was a spiral sigil calling for vengeance. I was finishing up college and Laura went ahead wanting to check it out first. She died.”

Peter cleared his throat. “He deserves to know.” He looked Michael in the eye. “I killed her.”

Michael had Peter by the throat before anyone could register it.

“Wait,” Derek implored. “He was under a spell. Deaton was compromised too, long before the fire; something really wanted the power under the forest. It wanted to use Peter to get to it, but for some teenagers helping me it would have happened. One of them is bonded to me the others are now in college, but part of the new pack.”

The door opened and the teenager came into the room. “All clear, but I caught a scent I’ve not smelled around here before. It had no magic on it, but it wasn’t human.”

“Brett Talbot, this is my Uncle Peter and my cousin Derek. This is my ward, Brett. His family was caught in the fallout from the Vampire incursions. His pack got wiped out and I took him in. Half the packs in the San Diego area are gone. Between the vamps after the wardens were routed, the Fomorian attacks, and now some hunters that have turned against our alliance, the numbers look bleak.”

Derek got up and moved in front of Michael. He grabbed his cousin’s hand and put them on his neck. “I think we need to see what each other knows. I need to leave soon, but Peter is staying in San Diego until I get back. There is something I must take care of in Mexicali.”

Popping his claws out, Michael nodded and buried them in Derek’s neck. Both men’s eyes glowed as Michael looked into Derek’s mind.

Images came in a flurry. The rebuilt manor, the new pack, the wizards of the White Council, the Sidhe of the Summer Court, and the torture Derek endured at the hands of Gerard Argent. Image after image cascaded into Michael’s head. The pain, loss, blind luck, everything came to him and he pulled Derek into a hug as soon as he retracted his claws.

“Peter will stay here, so we can catch up. I saw lots of things, Derek, and I need to sort them out. Peter will be safer here than in San Diego proper.” Michael gripped Derek’s forearm tightly. “Be careful in Mexicali, Derek. Rosa may trust this Braeden, but things have changed since she knew Aunt Talia.

“My wife is a witch and Liz’s family is Mexican in origin. Her mother is well known in Northern México. The hunters that allied with us are based out of Mexicali.” Michael grabbed his phone. “I’m not sure I want to know how you found me, but I’m glad you did.”

“One of the pack members was arrested as a juvenile for hacking.” Peter smiled broadly. “We put his talents to good use.” 

Michael nodded. “There is a strong pack based in Arizona, the Magnusson Pack. They’re based out of the Phoenix area, but after the vampire war, they’ve taken over some smaller packs including the one out of Yuma. Never met them, but one of the alphas in this area has. The hunters have used local gangs to spy and have threatened families.”

“Have they threatened you?” Peter demanded as he looked at the thin orphaned beta and back at his nephew. “They have!”

“Liz is powerful enough. We moved here from the eastern part of San Diego. I never turned anyone, but took in a few omegas. One of Liz’s brothers died saving Jasmine when the hunters tried to kidnap her. So did two omegas. Jasmine is a wolf, Nicky isn’t.”

Derek looked at his phone. He grabbed Michael and hugged for a long time. Pulling away, he nodded at Peter. “Peter, let him know everything. I’ll be in touch.”  

* * *

 

The drought had everything looking dead and lifeless on the campus. The too warm air was stifling, but Lydia couldn’t be happier now that she was in an elite academic setting. Part of her felt cutoff, she loved Stiles and Danny. She liked Cameron plenty, but it wasn’t the same as with the little quartet the ladies formed. Lydia wondered if Erica felt as cutoff as she did right now. Cora and Allison were lucky they had each other at Berkeley.

“Thinking awfully hard there.”

She looked up and was surprised to see a handsome man with mixed features she couldn’t place. “Do I know you?”

“One isn’t supposed to talk to strangers nowadays I know, but I keep abreast of things. I’m Luke Amirani. I’ve met your alpha before.” He offered his hand.

Lydia stood up and looked around. She wasn’t imagining this; there were no grayscale issues like her past episodes. As she took his hand suddenly her vision swam and she wasn’t looking out at Stanford anymore. There was a beautiful oasis, shimmering light all around, and music that moved through the soul. Abruptly it was yanked away.

“That was unexpected, Ms. Martin. You are far more than you seem.”

She took in his dark good looks and mesmerizing eyes and suddenly yanked her gaze away. “What are you?”

“Even smarter than I thought. Excellent phrasing of the question; indeed what is far more appropriate than whom.” He sat down near her, not next, preferring to respect her space. “I think in this case instead of answering I shall make it a game. I shall tell you what I am when you find out what you are.” He smiled at her. “In the year since I met your alpha much has changed. And changed quickly, though not all for the better.”

Lydia stood up. “You’re playing a game?”

“For a person who wants to win the Fields Medal what is the harm in being forced to think? You have much to learn and now you’re under some pressure to do it.” He smiled but his eyes glowed for a moment and everything turned back to the grayscale she hated. “There are many that walk in several worlds at once.” He pointed to the sky and then all around. “Those like me who are here on this plane are forbidden to act overtly.” The gray world vanished and they were back at the ‘real’ Stanford.

“What was that?”

“The world between worlds; that is all you can see because you don’t know any better.” He stepped back. “I’ve never been one to believe in coincidences, Ms. Martin. Seek out Dr. McNamara. The Darkness is coming and it has many names. All the signs point that way. The Time of Change comes and with it…that has yet to be determined.” He paused for a moment and then looked her in the eyes. “Do not be fooled by the modern age; things that go bump in the night still exist, the stuff of nightmares still live in the shadows, and beings that are considered myths can and do walk the Earth.”

Before Lydia could say anything, the man was gone. She jumped when Stiles touched her shoulder. “Stiles!”

“Are you okay?”

Lydia looked around and then at her friend. “No. No I’m not. We have to meet this Dr. McNamara.”

* * *

 

It was a quick two mile hike for Derek to meet up with Braeden at the prearranged rendezvous point. The idling car didn’t show much condensation underneath it telling Derek it hadn’t been there long.

“You walked?” Braeden said as her window rolled down. “It would’ve been easier and faster if I’d picked you up at your friend’s house.”

“Not your concern,” Derek responded. “It’s two hours to Mexicali, let’s go.” He threw his backpack into the backseat.

She turned to look at him as she threw the car into gear. “Do you even know what we’re up against? Rosa wasn’t very forthcoming and Mexicali isn’t a place I’d want to visit unless I had to, too many rumors.”

“It’s an old hunter family. They have connections all over the Southwest.” Derek pulled out his phone and frowned. “Forgot this isn’t one of my cars.”

Braeden shifted again and glared at the werewolf. “And whose fault is that? I drove my ass here from Oakland and you rich-boy flew down.” She gave him another look and followed the directions to the Interstate. “What do you know?”

“I’m surprised Rosalinda didn’t say anything to you,” Derek countered as he reached back to pull a tablet out of his backpack.

“What you said to her was between the two of you. She sent me here under her retainer.” Braeden smiled at Derek. “I’m not cheap.”

“Never thought you were.” He settled back and started scrolling through his tablet. “We’re heading to see the Calavara family. They are well known hunters, but don’t like many of the hunter families in the States.” He looked over at the driver and growled.”They are very much a ‘humans only’ family.”

“I’ve heard of them,” Braeden said as she moved through traffic out of San Diego. “They have reason to be as brutal as they are. The Red Court was notorious in Mexico and Central America for abducting victims and using them as leverage. None survived once they were taken; they were either food or new soldiers.”

“They turned on their allies.”

“They distrust everyone,” Braeden noted. “They’ve lost a few of their blood to the vampires over the years.”

Derek shot her an ‘Are you kidding me?’ look. “The Vampire War ended over a year and a half ago. They are suspected of kidnapping werewolves and changelings. They risk much for their little power-play.”

She rolled her eyes and focused on the road. “Look, I don’t know a lot about you, Hale, but I do know some. You were a spoiled rich kid, but then tragedy struck. You returned home, big sister died, and more shit happened. Guess what, you aren’t alone. Everyone associated with this shit has something in their past.

“Rosa was an old family friend and she was helpful when I was on a case. She needed some help and I had the time,” Braeden gritted out. “I’m not especially fond of werewolves, but she vouched for you. I called a buddy in Austin, kind of a historian, your family is very well known. He was able to verify much of Rosa’s information. But don’t think for a second I will call the Calavara’s monsters. You weren’t on the frontlines of the war. You didn’t experience it.”

“My family was wiped out because of that war!” Derek yelled. “You think I’d be going there if it wasn’t vitally important? If I am the spoiled rich boy you think I am then why would I go there?” Derek stared at her. “That war is over and a new one is brewing or are you not familiar with the Fomor?”

She rolled her eyes again. “What’s one supernatural power or another?”

“They want to take out the Sidhe,” Derek growled.

“You need to decide why we’re doing this, not because Rosa gave you some half-cocked lame reason. I trust her, but I know her. You can’t say the same thing. You’re some kind of werewolf prince; you need to act like it.”

He sat back for a moment and then caught the image that came up on the tablet. They were the images from the FBI about all the tagging. “As flawed as the world is, maybe I like it enough. Maybe I don’t want to be dead.”

* * *

 

Isaac plopped down next to Scott at the student union. “I fell asleep in Algebra.”

Dropping his voice low so no one could overhear him, Scott said, “You insisted on breaking in the room! We could’ve been asleep hours beforehand.”

“Please promise to keep it down tonight!” Erica groaned as she sat down next to Isaac. “The manor has soundproofed rooms; the walls here are paper thin. I don’t want to hear Scott moaning for you to go deeper.”

Both guys blushed deeply. Scott looked down and then around. He dropped his voice into a whisper. “We weren’t _that_ loud were we?”

“Aiden and Ethan both want to muzzle you because that ‘Yes’ hurt our ears.” She grinned at the crimson faced boys. “But…”

She was interrupted when Kira plopped her bag down next to Scott. She grinned at him and then at the other two wolves. “What was Hammond doing at your place?”

“Uh,” was all Scott could mumble out.

“He’s not a nice man,” Kira said as she pulled out a bag of sliced veggies. “My mother knows him. He’s a snake.”

Erica gave the new girl the side-eye while texting Boyd. “What makes you so sure he’s a bad guy?”

“I didn’t say bad guy I said not a nice man. There is a difference.” Kira pulled out a Twix and saw Scott’s eyes widen. She smiled and offered him one of the bars. “He does protect those that need it, but there is a price.” She looked at them and then smiled. “I may like to play around, but my mother said once Professor Laughlin left, Hammond was able to expand his influence.”

Isaac finished his ice cream cone by licking off the remnants off his hand while maintaining eye contact with Scott. He smacked his lips and then frowned at Kira. “And who are you again?”

“I’m Kira Yukimura and I’m a student here. And how I know about Byers, you’ll have to figure out on your own.” She stood up and smiled at Erica. “We have Biology together. Want to form a study group?”

“Sure.” Erica watched as Kira bounced away before turning to Isaac. “Stop flirting with Scott and concentrate. She just told us our ally is a douche!”

“Eh,” Isaac snorted as he arranged his shirt. “Jackson was a douche and it worked out with him. Aiden is a total dick and that’s been okay. Cora acts like she’s on the rag half the time. OW!” He rubbed his arm where Erica punched him hard. “That hurt. Then there is _you_.”

“I’m a fucking saint,” Erica smiled back.

“Patron saint of what?” Scott deadpanned as he looked at the retreating Kira. “She’s cute.”

Isaac gave Scott a look and Erica rolled her eyes. “You didn’t hear a thing she said did you?” The look on Scott’s face answered Erica’s question clearly.

* * *

 

Peter pulled out his laptop and started setting up in the Den. Michael stepped out to call his wife. The nanny, Emily, was like a ghost, moving from room to room silently.  The books in the room were an odd mix, but he was familiar with many of the titles.

“So you’re Michael’s uncle.”

A quick glance from Peter spotted the lanky teen leaning against one of the doorframes. He gave a brief nod and went back to his notes.

“He never talks about his family. My parents met him before the vamps came to the neighborhood.”  Brett moved closer and sat down opposite of Peter. “My mom and sister died first. A year later dad died. I was already living with Mike and Liz. My dad’s cousin Bela tried to help, but…that didn’t work out.”

“Don’t you have homework?” Michael asked with his impressive arms folded over his chest. He glanced at his watch and cleared his throat. “Liz and Jasmine will be here soon and I believe you made a promise…”

The teen shot out of his seat like a cannon and moved pasted Michael. The man smiled as the kid thundered up the stairs. “I don’t look forward to Jasmine and Nick being teenagers.”

“You and Laura weren’t too bad.” Peter looked back down and then up at Michael. “Derek needs you. We need you back home.” Peter motioned around the room. “I sense all the wards, but how many support them? Are you safe here?” Peter’s eyes pleaded.

Michael was about to answer when the front door opened. The fast footfalls of a child echoed in the house when a little girl ran into the back and plopped down on Michael. He hugged his daughter and then looked over and Peter holding a hand over his mouth. “Are you okay?”

“She looks like Laura did at that age.”

The little girl walked over and looked Peter up and down. “Daddy, he smells…he smells like you a bit.”

“He would, sweetheart, he’s my uncle.” Michael walked over and picked her up. “Jasmine, meet your Uncle Peter.”

The little girl moved from her father’s arms and onto Peter. She smiled at him and then hopped down. “Will he give me presents?”

“Young lady,” came a voice from the door. A beautiful woman in her thirties, long raven hair, brown skin, and dark eyes glared at the girl. “That was not polite and not how we treat company.” The woman walked over and held out her hand to Peter. “I’m Liz Hale.”

“Very nice to meet you, I’m Peter.” He took her hand and then kissed it gently. “Ah, the magic I sense around the house is yours.”

Liz gave him a half smile. “We have much to discuss, Peter Hale. But first, Jasmine, I believe that Brett has a surprise for you upstairs.” She laughed as her daughter took off for the stairs and then ran up them. “Brett promised to play tea party with her. She has a panda and a teddy bear that she adores and wanted them to join her.”

“Laura had a stuffed raccoon that she took everywhere until she was eight. Suddenly Mr. Bandit went into the closet and was only seen when she was upset.” Peter sighed and looked at his nephew and his wife. “They should be raised on Hale lands.”

Liz and Michael shared a look and he walked out of the room. Liz moved and sat across from Peter. “I’ll be honest, we’ve thought about it, but Michael felt there would be too much pain associated with moving back. He never even thought about it until a year and a half ago.”

“That would be when the spell broke,” Peter supplied. “We still aren’t sure how she did it, but my sister cast a spell of forgetfulness as she was dying.”

“I heard that Talia Hale was a powerful alpha, but never heard about her manipulating magic.”

Peter shrugged and decided to wait to fully explain. “Derek is looking into it. We’ve lived there for over two centuries. Michael was born and raised there.”

She looked away and then back at Peter. “My family is in Bakersfield now. We’re vulnerable, but Michael didn’t want to abandon the area.”

“Beacon Hills needs its rightful protectors. Hopefully Derek’s trip can help make San Diego a bit more peaceful.”

* * *

 

It took longer than Derek thought thanks to construction on I-8. He pointed to the side road and nodded. “That’s the Best Western. We’ll go over tomorrow.”

Braeden rolled her eyes. “I still say going over tonight is better. We still have two hours of sunlight.”

She parked the car as Derek climbed out and went into the office. He noticed the Mom & Pop restaurant across the street and inclined his head that way. He nodded as Braeden picked up on the signal.

“You the one that called an hour ago?” an older Hispanic gentleman asked as he came out of a backroom. “You looking for two rooms?”

Pulling his wallet out, Derek dropped four one hundred dollar bills on the desk. “No questions.”

The man muttered something in Spanish. Derek dropped two more bills down and smiled. “I speak Spanish, _Viejo_.”

Getting the keys from the manager, Derek walked out and made his way across the street. The light breeze brought scents to his nose that made him wary. Opening the door smoothly, he stepped in and spotted Braeden. She wasn’t alone.

“We could have saved you the expense,” stated a young woman with mixed Asian features. “Someone of your stature can’t be sneaking around.”

He didn’t bother to stop but kept walking and sat down next to Braeden. “You know them?”

“Nope.” There was no lie in her voice. “Figured they were yours.”

The young Asian lady sat down across from them. “We work for a pack in Arizona; watching the border and making sure the hunters know they can’t move freely.”

Derek sat back and frowned. “Why are you talking to me then?”

“Leif Magnuson heard through the grapevine that you’re looking for something. Heard that the Calavaras might have it. Rumors are something nasty is being done across the border in their compound.” She leaned forward and lowered her voice, “I’m a made-beta, but even I can feel your presence. To the born, I’m told, you feel like the sun approaching. Leif doesn’t want you crossing over.”

“I don’t answer to him or anyone,” Derek gritted out.

Braeden smiled and poked a gun into his side. “Hear the man out.”

“Let me guess, he pays more.” Derek stated flatly.

She shook her head and motioned for him to stand. “No, two of Rosa’s friends called. Bad juju on that side of the border. I’m supposed to protect you from yourself.” She motioned for him to stand up. “We have a little side trip to take.”

“I just dropped a few hundred on two rooms,” Derek added for the record.

The Asian girl rolled her eyes and walked over. “You’ll get a partial refund. Leif’s second is waiting for you in Yuma.”

* * *

 

Scott felt the fourth mile fly by as he kept up the pace. He felt his eyes flash suddenly and he almost stumbled as his head hurt. A nearby tree became his refuge as he leaned against it for support. Closing his eyes, he instantly knew where his mini-pack was. The twins were at the house napping, Isaac was at the gym, and Erica was in the library. He could actually sense them.

“Are you okay?”

He looked up and smiled at Kira. “I seem to keep running into you.”

“More like I run into you,” she smiled back. “But you were muttering. You sure you’re okay?”

As he was about to reply, Scott dug his claws into the tree and looked around. Scents on the wind had him ready for a fight. Quickly regaining control, he pulled his hand away from the tree and stared at Kira. “Something isn’t right.”

She nodded and looked around too. “Strange scents on the wind; I can’t place it.”

Erica came running up and pointed back. “Scott, that smell, it’s from the Summer Lands. We flew over it.”

Kira’s eyes widened, but she could say anything as a very sweaty Isaac ran up to them. “What is that stench?”

The lights around the campus flickered for a moment as they began coming on in the early dusk. Kira looked up and down the path as she stepped back. “Not to belabor a point, but should we move?”

Erica answered her phone before it could complete the first ring. “We’re fine, I think. We’re heading that way.”

Several lights flickered again and a few winked out. Scott moved up the path a few steps. “Kira, how would you like to join us for pizza?” He never looked at her instead keeping his eyes focused up the path.

She looked back too and nodded. “Erica and I can get some studying in.”

A strong breeze brought that scent in making all four of them gag a bit. “Time to go,” Isaac said and he took off.

Scott looked around for a moment, fighting his gag reflex and tried to figure out what was going on. The others were twenty yards away when he broke his vigil. “Coming,” he muttered and took off.

* * *

 

It started off as a way to blow off some steam. Classes were going to be challenging and the four of them were going to have their hands full. Three wolves and a hunter went running, which turned into parkour, with all of them bounding over obstacles, jumping walls, and simply having fun. After a quick drive to get away from campus, in Jackson’s SUV, they were near the waterfront having a ball.

Allison loved running with them. Cora kept pace with her while Boyd and Jackson swapped who was leading and who was trailing. It was late and the sun was setting on the other side of the Bay. Boyd took a hard left and took them into a warehouse and semi-industrial area.

“Some of those restaurants look good,” Boyd said as they slowed down. “Smells wonderful.”

“We stink to high heaven and look worse,” Cora said as she retied her ponytail.

Allison took lead and crossed through stacks of bound recycled paper and pallets. She paused when she saw people milling about. Raising a finger, the other three stopped and fanned out. They walked down the street, looking casual to any observer instead of running hooligans they had been.

With a hand signal, Cora took lead down a street that was a mix of design companies and machine shops. A call from Boyd was pitched so only a werewolf could hear it. Cora pulled Allison along and they paused in front of an alley wall. A full scale mural took up the entire space; a rolling thunderstorm with flames behind it with letters that weren’t English above and below it.

“That doesn’t look ominous at all,” commented Jackson.

In an instant, Allison climbed up Boyd to the nearby roof. Cora and the boys followed. People were down both ends of the alley and they didn’t look friendly.

“Where?” Cora asked.

“Back towards the restaurants!” Boyd said as he started running. The people on the ground noticed them leave and started following. As quickly as they could, the four made their way across a few roofs and finally back down to the street level. They were still two blocks away from the main avenue and the restaurants.

“There!” Allison pointed out. Just a block a away and nicely lit was a tea shop. She looked back noticing they were still being followed. “Run!”

It was a mad dash and they made it inside. Boyd and Jackson moved to the door while Cora and Allison walked further into the store.

“And so it begins,” came an accented voice. A tall thin black man of undistinguished age walked out from the back. His grey suit set off his kaleidoscope eyes. He waved his hand and all four felt wards go up around the shop. “Trouble has been brewing for months and now it’s at my door. Three werewolves and a huntress, the omens my mother would rave about over this.” He smiled at them. “Tea?”

“Who are you?” Boyd asked as he moved forward.

“It would be so cliché to say a ‘witch-doctor’ but a white witch will suffice. There is some powerful dark magic around the bay.” He filled four different cups with different blends. Slowly he poured the hot water into the cups. “They’ll be gone soon enough.”

“Who are they?” Cora asked as she looked towards the door.

“Infiltrators. More than one way to skin a cat. If you can’t take something by force you take it by deception.” He looked at them and handed them the tea. “There should be an advisor on campus to help you. You shouldn’t leave campus without dire need either. You’ve been hunted before.”

“How do you know that?” Allison asked.

“That isn’t the issue. A few blocks from here is a storefront church selling hope; hope that the end is near. Faith has power. They call for Arafel; they call for the end.”

* * *

 

“Why are we doing this again?” complained Danny. “I could be studying or hitting on my hot neighbor.”

Cameron glared at him as they approached one of the academic buildings. Prof McNamara’s club met there and the first meeting was tonight.

“Isn’t the first day of school the worst day to have a meeting?” Stiles asked as he followed Lydia into the building. The air was still hot, but the sun was falling behind the mountains. “This has been the longest day.”

A sigh escaped Lydia before she could stop it. Cameron cracked a grin and pointed to the right room. It was a small auditorium and as they walked in more than two dozen heads turned to greet them.

“I was wondering if you were going to come,” came the melodic voice of a young woman at the center of the auditorium. “I’m Erin McNamara; Leighton mentioned you to me.”

The four filed in and took seats close, but not next to each other. Danny sat down right behind Leighton. “Hi.”

“S’up stud?” Leighton winked and then looked forward again.

“As I was saying,” McNamara enunciated loudly, “I’ve received word from several sources that supernatural activity is up in the Bay Area. All of you are at risk so try not to go out alone and do not head to one of the cities alone.”

A purple haired girl raised her hand. “Do we know who is responsible?”

Stiles sat back and kept quiet. He could see Cameron shift uneasily across the room, but not answer. He smiled as Lydia raised her hand.

“Yes, Ms. Martin if I’m correct.”

“Thank you, Prof McNamara. I believe the Fomor are the most likely suspects. We’ve had dealings with them further north.”

Several people turned to her and one skater boy frowned. “And who are you with exactly?”

“She’s with the Hale Clan,” McNamara said. “And that is all that needs to be said on the subject, Jeremy. UCLA and USC reported a dozen abductions between them last year. We have two seers on campus and they aren’t sleeping well. Overall the West Coast has seen almost one hundred gifted students taken in the last year.”

Lydia listened for a moment and then the in-between gray world suddenly overlapped the real one. Prof McNamara continued addressing the group, but she turned to look at Lydia in the shadow realm. Her form was shimmering gold with a dull light emanating from within.

‘ _You see me and you should not be able to!_ ’

Rocking back, Lydia gasped for a breath as the room went quiet. “Sorry,” she managed to whisper.

McNamara stared at her for a second and then shrugged. “As I was saying, there are legends of very powerful beings imprisoned around the Earth. Few records exist and those that do are under heavy guard. There are organizations dedicated to keeping such information hidden.”

“Any of those around here?” Leighton asked. “So I know where not to go.”

“There was a professor at Davis who knew many local legends.” She shook her head for a second. “But he’s no longer there and never shared the local lore.”

“Did he tell you anything?” Stiles asked.

“All Laughlin ever mentioned was the Spanish missionaries knew something wasn’t right at the north end of the Sacramento Valley. Special priests rotated in and out of the Mission at Davis until the Spanish gave up Mexico. They kept watch for something.”

“Laughlin,” asked Danny. He stopped flirting with Leighton and focused on McNamara. “Father Jason Laughlin?”

“Yes. You know him?”

Cameron nodded. “We did. He died last spring in Rome.”

She reached for her chair and sat down. “He was part of the alliance and had contacts all over the globe. He knew the key people in many of our organizations. He was a lore master. That is unfortunate.”

Stiles stood up and moved closer. “Professor, did he ever tell you what was in the north of the valley?”

“No, why?”

“Beacon Hills sits at the northern edge of the valley.”


	4. Take on Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> College is not the escape from the supernatural everyone though it would be. More of the past becomes known and that leads to more problems.

The manor stood before her, empty, but still full of energy. Night was settling in, the perimeter lighting illuminating the exterior of the manor making it welcoming. Lynn looked to her left and nodded as Patrick started walking around the very large mansion. Porter was on the grounds as backup just in case. Everything was unsettled and that sent those still in Beacon Hills to the manor just in case. The pack bonds had them all on edge; something was bothering many of their clan-mates.

Placing her hand on the hidden palm key and then sliding in her keys, Lynn waited for the locks to release. The magic of the preserve had grown stronger of late, but none of the mages were in residence. A center of magical energies, it was never a good sign when they shifted. Marin came up and nodded to the senior emissary. “And Bronson?”

“He’s around back with Patrick, none of the ward seals have been broken much less tampered with. What’s going on?”

Slowly Lynn turned and began expanding her senses. She raised a hand to halt the conversation with her colleague. “Your coming is not a good sign,” she whispered to the air. “Marin and Bronson are concerned. Laura, why are you here?”

The air in front of Lynn and Marin coalesced into Laura’s form. She smiled and shrugged. “Derek needs help. Too much, too soon happened. SHE knows that you and the other emissary are helping him as does the shaman. However, you cannot teach him what he needs. The line of this family is close to breaking after millennia of existence. She will not allow that. She is acting now and so are many Others.”

Lynn nodded and started walking through the front rooms. Marin frowned as she looked at Laura’s spirit. “The magical alarms are still ringing but nothing is wrong here. Why?”

Bronson and Patrick appeared at that moment. Bronson tipped his head to Laura before turning to Marin. “Many of the members are in distress. I can barely sense Derek.”

“Peter is not with him,” Marin stated as she looked inward. “They found the other Hale. Derek is further away.”

“Where?” demanded Lynn.

“Location spells are not my thing,” Marin countered. “Maybe his sister’s spirit can give us some insight?”

Laura’s apparition rolled her eyes. “I’m bound to this location. Can’t help.”

“Peter says Derek left with Braeden a few hours ago and hasn’t checked in,” Chris said as he put his phone back into his jeans. “Picking up a phone sometimes works better than magic.” 

“That location program of Danny’s has Derek in Yuma…” Patrick said as he frowned down at his phone. “He’s supposed to be in Mexico.”

“And that is why everyone is on edge,” said Laura as she phased in and out of sight. “Bunch of geniuses in the pack I see.”

Lynn glared at the spirit for a moment. She pulled out a small velvet bag and walked to a mirror hanging on the wall in the Sitting Room. “Close the doors,” she said but didn’t wait to see who obeyed. Out she pulled a small vial and a small container. A quick flick of her wrist and two drops of blue fluid from the vial was on her fingertip. Swiftly she drew a symbol on the mirror and then blew a power from the ornate container onto the wet runes.

The mirror flared as Lynn muttered an incantation. It went black and at the center a house formed. Lynn kept muttering, moving her fingers in intricate patterns. The image brightened for a second and went dark again. Soon her reflection returned to the mirror. “Damn.”

Chris leaned against the wall and shrugged. “Interference?”

Marin rolled her eyes. “Scrying spells over great distance don’t work like they used to. San Diego?”

“Yes, I wanted to pick up on Derek’s path, but it’s the ass end of the state.” Lynn turned and frowned. “Chris, do you have any allies in Southern California?”

* * *

 

Leaning his head back, Derek listened to the conversations around him. Braeden sat in the passenger seat of the SUV and he had a wolf on each side of him. His backpack was behind him and his phone in Braeden’s possession which only gave him slight pause. But he was in a part of the country where the Magnusson’s held great sway. Derek was a Hale, but that might not be enough. For now.

“You’re too quiet,” Braeden said from the front. “Say something.”

He didn’t bother opening his eyes. His extended senses heard the cry of a raven. He kept his face neutral, but it triggered so many memories he’d learned from his family tome. All those memories were still unsettled in his mind.

“Lady is talking to you,” one of the wolves said.

Derek didn’t respond to him either; instead he let his mind wander through the images of the ancient past. He almost scowled when something poked him in the ribs. Sitting in the back seat of a parked car wasn’t something Derek had planned on, but he was adaptable. He ignored the jab again.

“When a lady speaks, you answer.”

Several emotions colored the wolf’s scent. Derek remained calm as the irritation in the wolf grew. Eyes slight closed, he felt the car shift as one of the wolves moved suddenly.

“Gunnar said not to harm him! Last thing we need is a pack war.”

Derek almost broke his silence on that comment, but stayed still. There was no point in engaging; these weren’t pack leaders. The distant roar of an engine broke the monotonous bickering.

“That should be Hal.” 

Doors to the SUV opened all around and Derek was guided out. He dusted the front of his jeans and straightened up as the car came to a stop. Derek knew he wasn’t near another alpha, but that the pack Second had been sent. He watched as Braeden went over to the other car.

“Thank you for coming. Mr. Hale is here waiting to meet with you.”

The large beta walked over and looked Derek up and down. A booming voice echoed in the night. “You have the look of a Hale, but aren’t what I expected.”

A single eyebrow arched up, but Derek again remained silent.

“Answer the man,” said the beta that kept poking Derek in the car. He hit Derek upside the head, but screamed as the Second grabbed his arm and broke it in two.

“We _never_ harm other alphas!” he snarled. “Gunnar will hear of this. My apologies to you Alpha Hale.”

Derek kept his face neutral and barely looked over at the beta trying to get his arm back in place so it would heal. He let his eyes look around without turning his head. “Why am I here?”

Braeden moved forward to answer, but Hal grabbed her, stopping her forward momentum. He moved forward. “We heard you were heading to Mexicali and to see what the Calaveras are up to. We don’t think that’s wise.”

Lips curled slightly into a hint of a smile, “No one asked you.” Two of the betas growled at what they felt was disrespect. Derek looked up and then around again. “Regardless of your reasons, I will cross the border and deal with those hunters.”

Hal reached out but stopped short of grabbing Derek. “You could start a war! Leif and Gunnar want to avoid that at all costs!”

Derek flashed his eyes and every wolf cringed. “Braeden is going to take me to them as her prisoner. You two,” he pointed at the betas that were vocal, “are going to come with and be support.” He paused and pointed at Hal. “Consider this a sign of good faith that was not made in the last few hours.”

“What makes you think I’ll help you?” Braeden asked as she stepped forward.

“Because you’ll want to let Rosa know everything that you find down there. You’re a hunter under the old rules. If the Calaveras are violating those tenants then you want to know.” Derek grinned. “Besides, you owe me.” 

* * *

 

Cora, Allison, Boyd, and Jackson stared at their host in silence for a few moments. Jackson cleared his throat. “They call for the end; just like that?”

The owner refreshed their tea and glanced at the door. “They’ve left. They are easy to control when they’re in a frenzy, but once they lose focus then the controls wane. Helps that I have a low level counter spell outside.” He sipped his tea. “You should know better than to leave the safety of Berkeley.”

“We wanted to explore,” Allison answered. “Who are you?”

“There is no Warden in Northern California and I think you know this.” He moved back to a shelf and pulled out a book. “I’m Geoffrey Price and as I mentioned I practice white magic. The alliance the White Council helped form keeps an eye on things in places like this. Now, Ms. Hale, why were you out here?”

“You know me?”

Price smiled and blew on his tea. “This is northern California; everyone who is anyone knows what a Hale looks like.” He glanced at Jackson and smiled again. “Or feels like.”

Allison cleared her throat. “Master Price, what is really going on out there?”

A silver bowl was placed in front of them on the worn wooden table. He walked around the shop gathering small herbs, crushing them, placing them inside the bowl as he went around. With a simple hand wave, the herbs caught fire rapidly turning to ash. He came back with the tea kettle and poured hot water over the ashes.

“Let us see what we can see.” Leaning over the bowl, he inhaled deeply and then blew smoke out of his mouth and into the bowl. Instantly, the whole room was shrouded in a hazy fog.

For the pack, the walls vanished and they were looking outside. The scene changed and they were back at the mural. Everything they’d seen all night was replayed, but the images froze at the mural. Layers of paint started to peel away uncovering inscriptions hidden under dark layers.

“You saw that. No one from the outside was supposed to see those inscriptions,” Price said as he moved closer. “Bad juju written under the paint.”

The whole shop shook for a second, bottles rattled, chimes rang in discord, and everyone shifted to regain their balance. The wall vanished and a figure cloaked in darkness appeared, eyes shining red and foul. A hand reached for them and then the wall reappeared.

“There will be none of that!” Price said as he tried to catch his breath. “Unexpected and not reassuring.”

Cora moved closer to the owner. “What was that?”

Price ignored her as he moved quickly gathering more ingredients. Into a large mortar he threw things and ground them down with an old stone pestle. “Sorry, but that was not something that should be here. It was a thing from the Other Side. A nightmare from long ago.” He looked at the pack and frowned. “So much to learn and no time for it. Unfortunately, knowledge comes from experience and time. Many of us are aware of your challenges and that does place you on the path of Wisdom, but…”

“We have seen a great deal,” Jackson muttered, a haunted shadow passed over his features. “We need to get moving.”

“Yes, but a moment please.” Price motioned to the book on the table. He slid the book over and frowned. “I’m aware that Father Laughlin advised your alpha from time to time. He and I had a mutual love of history. This book survived the 1906 San Francisco fire, but its companions did not.”

Boyd picked up the book, but it would not open. He handed it to the other wolves and none of them could open it either. “Can you open it?”

“Oh, yes of course, but there are no words in there when I do. The pages refuse to enlighten me. These were logs used by a sect that watched the valley from Davis. Laughlin and I tried many things, but none worked.” Price looked at them and sighed. “There is a certain reputation that has been developed around you that is most impressive, if somewhat improbable.”

He reached under the counter and pulled out a pipe. “They’ve left. But I imagine that whomever is controlling them now has an inkling that you are here.” He pulled out a card with his name and number on it. He inhaled from his pipe and blew smoke on the card. He handed it to Boyd. “You’ve been marked by your alpha in subtle ways for a turned beta. Ms. Hale has those markers already. Only you four may read the card.”

He moved to the door and unlocked it. “There are rules that you have no idea exist right now. Come see me in an emergency, but you must speak with your pack emissary. There should be an advisor of sorts on campus as well. But above all, do not leave its safety at night. More than you know still roams once the sun sets.”

Cora looked around as she left the shop. She glanced as her friends and frowned. “Why do I feel like we just went through a rabbit hole?”

“Why do all mages feel the need to be so damned obscure?” hissed Jackson. “They never really say _anything_!”

Boyd shrugged while Allison led them up the street and to the main drag. “I say Boyd calls Lynn tomorrow.”

“Why me?” Boyd demanded.

“Least likely to annoy her, of course,” Jackson answered.

* * *

 

“This place isn’t as bad as I expected it to be,” Kira said as she walked into the Davis Group’s house.

“Trust me, they want to leave their smelly clothes everywhere, but I threatened their nuts so they’re picking up socks and other stuff,” grumbled Erica.

Scott’s eyes flash red for a brief moment and he started to look around. “Do you have any idea what happened back there?”

Kira shook her head. “No, but it felt like bad magic. I wouldn’t ask Hammond Byers about it either. He’s a snake.”

“You’ve said that before,” Isaac said as he walked into the room carrying some snacks. He jerked his head to the kitchen and the twins got up to get more stuff.

“You have to work with him, so I don’t want to get in too deep. Be careful.” She plopped down next to Erica and pulled up something on her tablet.

The twins exchanged glances and then motioned between Scott and Kira. Aiden finally spoke up. “Yo! Kira, you can’t leave us hanging!”

“We’ve been burned in the past. Spill,” Ethan added.

“It’s a protection racket. Byers gets more of it than he gives, but there’s not enough to call the Wardens in.” She stopped and started looking around. The ground shook and all the wolves’ eyes glowed for an instant. In the distance, car alarms began to go off and they grew louder as more went off closer and closer to the house.

Erica jumped up and pulled out three silver bowls. Quickly she yelled, “Get up and make sure every window is shut and door is locked!”

Isaac vaulted up and stopped Scott from opening the front door, instead slamming the deadbolt in place. The twins ran upstairs, running from bedroom to bedroom checking all the windows. Erica pulled out a Ziploc bag from the fridge and poured the contents into the three bowls.

Pulling out several drawers, she found a lighter and set the contents on fire in each bowl. She left one on the kitchen island, then ran and placed one on the coffee table before racing to the top of the stairs and putting the final bowl in the hall.

The house shook again. Scott pulled everyone back into the living room. “What’s going on?” All the lights went out, plunging the house into darkness. Kira muttered a few words and all the candles in the living room flickered on. The winds outside howled and the house rattled again.

The medicine rugs glowed to all their sight. The smoking herbs filled the room. A final shriek rang outside and everything was quiet. Scott moved towards the door, but Ethan grabbed him.

Kira nodded, “Wait, it could be a trap.”

Erica moved to the window, slowly pulling open the curtain. “Oh my God!” Tree limbs were down and several cars were flipped over. A few shrubs down towards the main street were on fire, with several homeowners racing to get water on them to keep the dead dry grass from igniting.

Opening the door, Scott walked outside and sighed. Taking a deep breath, he frowned as he wiped his nose. “I’ll call Ms. Morrell in the morning…”

Isaac held up his phone. “Scott, Lynn wants a report now. They are hearing about all kinds of issues right now.”

He moved off and placed the call. He was an alpha, but the emissary ranked him here. Scott took a deep breath because he really had no clue want to say.

* * *

 

Cameron and Stiles watched as Danny left with Leighton and Lydia chatted with some chemist who was also a changling. Stiles glanced over at Dr. McNamara and frowned.

“If you have a question Mr. Stilinski then ask it,” the professor stated evenly. “I’m not much of a mind reader.”

It took Stiles a moment to gather his thoughts; he was feeling very unsettled but could not pinpoint why. “You know more than you’re letting on about the northern part of the Sacramento Valley.”

“Of course I know more than I let on. Knowledge is a dangerous thing, especially in our world. It is never given freely or lightly - the same as advice.” She smiled and then glanced at Lydia. “Oliver, it’s late, get a move on.” She turned back to Cameron, looking him up and down. “Physics and magic, huh? That is a very interesting combination, Mr. Hale. Oliver, we’re leaving!”

Lydia walked over and joined Stiles and Cameron. “He’s odd, but apparently psychic. There are a variety of people here and at Berkeley too.” She looked around and frowned. “Something isn’t right.”

“Nothing about this is right,” grunted Cameron. He waved his hand around and frowned again. He motioned at Stiles and Lydia to remain silent. He walked to the door in his normal gait, stretching his legs after the long sit. Eyes darting around, he kept his outward composure loose, but inside he was coiling tighter and tighter.

The warm air hit the trio as they exited the building. Cameron raised a hand to keep the freshmen from speaking. Quickly moving off the path and over dead dry grass, Cam pulled them behind another building. “Something was watching us.”

“You think?” Lydia quipped. “It was all I could do to keep from screaming; the hair on the back of my neck was standing up.”

“But I didn’t sense any magic,” Stiles added. “Normally there is a feel to that kind of thing.”

“It wasn’t magic like a spell,” Lydia answered while glancing around. “It was like a sensation. Like something there, but not.”

“Yes, it was like hearing a heartbeat, but it’s not a normal one because the rhythm isn’t right and it’s distant.” Cam shook his head and looked around. “I don’t smell anything out of the ordinary. This is baffling.”

Stiles moved forward and looked around. He waved a hand around and frowned. “There is no magical signature that I can detect. It must be something that you sense because you have other senses. Well, we don’t know what’s going on with you yet, Lyds.”

She smirked at him and then turned to Cameron. “Walk me to my dorm, please? Stiles can find his own way.”

“That’s fucking awesome guys!” Stiles muttered as the other two walked away. Taking the long route back to his dorm, Stiles stopped every so often to take in the magical ‘feel’ of Stanford. Thankful for all the training Chris insisted the pack do, the walk was invigorating instead of draining. The noise coming from his dorm room was unexpected, but his roommate hadn’t arrived yet so there was that possibility.

The chaos in the room made him pause before entering. “Uh…hi?”

A lanky teenage boy, with stringy brown hair turned to him. Stiles noticed all the rings on his fingers as well as a few bracelets and a necklace. The new guy nodded. “You must be Stilinski. I’m Morgan.”

“Call me Stiles,” he offered his hand and they shook. “Arrived a bit late?”

“Issues getting from Pennsylvania, but I got here.” He took in Stiles and shrugged. “Look, I’m not a neat freak, but I also don’t like stuff to start smelling like feet or worse. The other thing is, I don’t have body issues so being naked isn’t a thing for me.”

Stiles nodded. “Not a prude here, dude. I sleep naked most of the time I just keep a pair of sleep pants next to the bed in case. No one wants to run out bareassed because of a fire drill or prank.” Stiles pulled his shirts off and kicked his shoes off too. He noticed some of the books Morgan was placing on his desk and shelves. He didn’t flinch when he saw a crystal bowl that instantly added a magical tang to the air. He raked his eyes up and down Morgan’s body and found him normally built, but something had Stiles feeling a little off.  He did notice a few tattoos that were very small and hard to read. Something about them looked familiar.

“Nice tat! Centered on the back and pretty big too. Must have been a bitch to sit through.”

“Felt like it took no time at all.” Stiles plopped down on his bed in only his boxer briefs. He took in a piece of wall art Morgan had already hung. “That’s cool.”

Morgan glanced over at the wall and nodded. “A friend gave that to me. It’s Thurisaz or Thor’s Hammer.”

Stiles nodded, but his stomach dropped. It also represented Chaos and having that around might play havoc with his magic. He pulled off his boxer briefs and pulled up his blanket. “Night, dude.” Stiles hoped he would get some sleep since college life just got more complicated. Grabbing his crystal, he centered his thoughts. Without Derek near, Stiles needed to ground his energy on his own.

* * *

 

Pacing the nice dark oak room, Peter scrolled through some texts and sent a few as well. The call from Lynn settled his course of action. Peter closed his phone and frowned. “Things have not gone well with Derek. I need to leave.”

“I’ll go with you,” Michael said as he got out of his office chair.

“No, you are a rightful Hale Alpha. Get your family to Beacon Hills as soon as possible. Chris is moving our things from the carriage house to the vacant fourth floor loft. We’ll commission another smaller domicile on the other side of the garden when we get a chance.” Peter glanced at his watch. “But above all, get there. It’s your home.”

“Peter, Derek…I just got you back. I need to make sure he’s safe.” Michael moved a painting and revealed a small vault. He entered some numbers and pulled out two Berretta M9s and three spare clips.

“Michael, you stay and protect your family. I can handle this. Leave tomorrow and I can arrange for the Brownies to pack and move everything for you.” Peter pulled the guns from his nephew’s hands and put them back in the vault. “Your instincts are running wild. I know, when we found Cameron it was a piece of my soul healing. Go back to Beacon Hills. I’ll see you in a few days. Patrick or Porter will meet you there.”

“I don’t like it,” Michael countered, but sat back down. He shook his head and started working again.

“I need to go.” Peter walked out and nodded at Liz in the hallway.

“Thank you. I’ll see you in a few days.” She gave Peter a light hug. “Emily will get your things together.”

Peter went to the kitchen and pulled out a bottle water. He wandered back into the hallway when Emily came in with Peter’s luggage, he smiled at her. “You aren’t human are you?”

The nanny shrugged. “I have served Elizabeth’s family for three generations. I will serve the children until I am not needed.”

“The magic of the Preserve will make you stronger. You needed the witches to survive here.” Peter watched the subtle shift in Emily. “By the time the two little ones don’t need you there will be plenty more to help with if you want.” He offered a true smile. “Beacon Hills can become your true home.”

“You are very astute, werewolf. When I met Master Michael I knew that many things were changing. I had to do terrible things when they came after Jasmine. I will do what is necessary.” Menace rolled off Emily and Peter took a step back.

Peter nodded. “It is unwise to get on the wrong side of a Kobol.”

She laughed, “You are very good werewolf. Have a safe trip saving your alpha.”

Michael came in and hugged Peter. “Call when you get to Mexicali. And after you helped Derek.”

“Of course. Michael, I’m serious. Get to Beacon Hills as soon as possible.” Peter took a moment and then whispered, “We had no idea how much we needed you until we found you. You need to get home.”

* * *

 

The trip back from Yuma to Mexicali took next to no time. Derek delayed their departure long enough to time arriving there not long after sunrise. A few miles outside of town, he slipped on some special handcuffs that hunters liked to use on weres. A human affiliated with the Magnuson Pack rode in the passenger seat while Derek was in the back. Braeden knew how to contact the Calaveras. The Mexican hunters ran several storefronts, but the one she knew was always occupied by a family member was a small bar on the south side of town.

Braeden pushed the door open and nodded at the bartender. Two locals in the dimly lit room quickly stumbled out of the bar. She pulled Derek in behind her and shoved him towards a table. Her two associates followed in. “Where is Araya?”

“You don’t come into our town making demands,” the bartender yelled in Spanish.

The huntress rolled her eyes and replied in kind. “I have an alpha for her.”

“That changes things,” the man said in perfect English.

Derek opened all his senses and felt eddies and currents around the place. There was some magic, but it wasn’t much. However, deep under the alcohol, puke, and sweat there was a smell of young werewolves. It took all his control not to end the sham and tear the place apart, but he needed the head of the Calavera family. The Calaveras were notorious hunters who did anything and everything to keep the supernatural contained. Ruthless wasn’t even the whole of it. They viewed themselves as the last line of defense for humanity. Though more than one person wondered if they had given up theirs to ‘protect’ the humans they claimed to defend.

“What do we have here?”

An older woman walked forward and gripped his face. They locked gazes for a second. “This is a Hale. The last Hale Alpha and you were supposed to be so _powerful_. Braeden captured you? She’s an amateur by our standards.”

There were seven other hunters around, by Derek’s count. There were two wolves playing support from the Magnuson Pack and that left Braeden and the other guy, Jason. The odds weren’t in his favor, but he wasn’t really bound. He growled at Araya. “What have you been doing with young wolves?”

Her eyes narrowed and a scowl deepened on her face. “What do you know, alpha? Speak before I make you in ways you’ve never dreamed!”

There was a sudden flash of light, a deafening bang, and smoke filled the air too. Lucky for Derek he was facing away from it, but it gave him the time to remove his bonds and knock out two hunters before grabbing Araya Calavera by the throat.

“This is why I should always be allowed on the missions, nephew.”

Derek didn’t let Peter’s sudden appearance deter him from him mission. “What are you doing with young wolves!”

The older hunter spat in his face. “You’ll get nothing from me.”

The other wolves walked in and rounded up the hunters. Braeden and Jason held them at gunpoint while the wolves put them in handcuffs. “Aren’t you Severo Calavera, the heir to the family?” she asked.

“Peter, search the basement and be mindful of traps. Take Jason with you in case you need a human.” He turned back to Araya. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way.”

Another sneer from her decided his course of action. Popping the claws from his hand brought cries of horror from the hunters, but instead he sunk them into her neck and brought their eyes together again. He pulled on all his strength and entered her mind. She was disciplined and tried to evade, but his strength was the greater. Sweat poured down his face as he battled wills with her. Every image was a fight and he could understand little without some context. His stomach roiled with some of the images he plucked from her mind. The battle ended with her snarling and passing out for a moment.

“I should kill you for your violations,” he spat. Turning to Braeden he pointed down at the moaning Calavera family head. “She’s been abducting young wolves and trying to turn them into her own little hunters. There are three down there I suspect we’ll find a few bodies at the junk yard they own. She wanted to turn them against their own and could only do that with teenagers, after they shifted, but before their instincts were settled.”

Peter came upstairs helping two young teenagers walk while Jason helped a third. Pointing a gun at Araya, Peter’ mouth filled with his sharp teeth. “Give me a reason not to kill you!”

“Kill me Peter Hale and all the hunters will come after you,” she mocked. “You think all of them are like Chris Argent? Many of them are waiting to see if you can turn into the dogs you really are. This is a human world and we will be rid of all of you and the mages as well.”

“Shut up!” Peter roared and fired his gun. He laughed as she screamed but was only covered in dust from the bullet near her neck. “Next time I will kill you. Enter the US again or have anyone come after us and I’ll lead a horde of White Court Vamps here personally. You aren’t the apex predators.” He clocked her over the head, knocking her out. All the wolves did the same for the rest of the humans.

Jason pointed to the teenaged boy he was helping. “This one is from Arizona. We’ll get him home. The others… we’ll trust you to take care of on your own.”

Braeden nodded. “We’ll see to it. We need to leave.” She helped the girl and boy into the backseat of Peter’s rental. Derek put the chest into the trunk and his backpack into the front seat. “Follow us out.”

“Let’s rendezvous in San Diego.”

* * *

 

Cora and Allison ignored everyone around them as they kept talking about their poetry class. They were at Berkeley to learn and all the supernatural bullshit could take a hike for a few hours. Given events of last night they wanted to forget even more.

“Mr. Price said you’d be easy to find, but it wasn’t that easy.”

They looked up and frowned as the south Asian man smiled at them. “Price said you ran into some issues last night. Come with me to my office and have your associates join us at the Anthropology Dept. I’m Dr. Singh and another colleague, Dr. Amell will be joining us.” 

Allison sent out a text to the other two while Cora and her headed to get a Jamba Juice.

Boyd and Jackson joined the ladies outside the Anthropology Department. No one said anything as they made their way inside. It was older, not one of the new remodeled business buildings, but it was very much a university teaching building.

The third floor had only offices and the foursome spread out along the hall to keep any potential trouble from hitting them all at once. Dr. Singh’s door was open and they walked in.

There was a petit woman in the room along with Dr. Singh. Cora moved forward and offered her hand. “Dr. Amell I assume?”

The woman nodded and said, in a slightly accented voice, “A pleasure to meet all of you. Please close the door, Mr. Whittemore.” She motioned for all of them to sit. “We will skip the formalities. In France, this would be an unpardonable sin, time is against us. Dr. Singh has a specialty for divination. However, things have become more…clouded of late, if you will.”

“What is this about?” Allison asked.

“A moment please,” Dr. Amell asked. “You are familiar with the Paranet, well several universities have a subnet for the Bay Area and NoCal. Dr. Singh contacted me last night after your encounter around Price’s tea shop. What could be seen is no longer there. I am a medium and low level witch. Your presence in the warehouse area has changed things.”

“How?” Jackson asked quickly.

Dr. Singh cleared his throat. “Reading the future is never a straight line and never clear. However, what could be seen is now clouded. Fate itself is roiled at least for now. We need to know what you saw!”

The four traded a look before Boyd stood up. “We are going to consult with our emissary before we continue this conversation. No disrespect, but we don’t know you.”

Jackson pulled the door open and guided Cora through first. Allison followed with Boyd, Jackson walked out facing the professors, never turning his back on them. Jackson pulled the door closed, never allowing the professors to get in a word. Cora was already halfway down the hall by the time the door closed. Lingering for a moment, Jackson tried to listen in and see if they said anything.  He waited two heartbeats before running after them.

Boyd pulled them aside and pointed to Cora. “Call Lynn. See what’s up. I don’t like how things are playing already.”

“Weren’t you supposed to call her already?” Cora snarked. “I’ll do it since you obviously can’t dial a number.”

* * *

 

The journey back to San Diego wasn’t smooth. Peter rode with Braeden and the two young wolves rode with Derek in the rental. It was only his alpha powers that kept the wolves under control. He figured they were both around fifteen to sixteen years old. The wolves would get restless, but never really fully conscious. It worried him, but he had to get them back to San Diego so they could figure it all out.

When his phone chimed in with a text, he frowned, again realizing how much he liked the upgrades Danny installed in most of the cars. There were always drawbacks to driving a rental. The road was empty so checking his messages wasn’t hard. However, what he saw made him roll his eyes. “Whatever,” he muttered.

The message to meet out at this old deserted K-Mart wasn’t his idea for sure. However, he could not turn down the aid right now.

“Derek, it’s hot and I want a shower,” Braeden stated. “Where is this friend of yours?”

“Right behind you.”

Hiding his smile, Derek walked towards Carlos Ramirez and shook his hand. “Thanks for responding.” Even though he knew Chris arranged the whole thing already. Braeden didn’t need to know that.”

“Well this is my jurisdiction and I should shock your werewolf ass for going to Mexico without informing me. Kidnapping is something we take seriously, Derek. Telling your FBI pals opens our world to far too many risks.”

Derek held up his hands to placate the wizard.

“Warden, you still need to go down there and see what they might have done,” demanded Peter. “The two teens are out of it. We’ve no idea how they were drugged or even who they are.” 

Carlos walked over to them and frowned for a moment. “Something isn’t right here.” For outsider observers it looked as though he were doing nothing, but he was examining small tendrils of energy. “Interesting, there is minor spell work here to suppress healing and also to subdue the inner wolf. But it could not last unless it belonged to an item or totem of some sort.”

Braeden moved forward and started searching the young man. She pulled out a small key chain from his pocket. A nod from Carlos confirmed it was the offending object and she then did the same for the young woman.

A few whispered words from Carlos and the two woke up snarling. Derek flashed his eyes and let his teeth elongate, snapping at them. The two teens instantly yielded. Their rapid heartbeats signaling their panic.

“Calm down kids,” Braeden said in a soothing tone. “We rescued you. Can you tell us who you are?”

Both kids looked lost and shook their heads. Carlos tapped Braeden on the arm. “You are an associate of Rosa Flores. I know her. Derek, we’ll take the kids to her. She has contacts with Health & Human Services so we can help them and not betray our secret. I’ll deal with the hunters later.”

The kids moved to Braeden’s car. Derek peeled off three hundred dollar bills and handed them to Braeden. “We’ll settled up after this is handled. There are three alphas on the way to Oakland, call them if you need help with the teens.”

“Get them some new clothes and a hot shower.” Peter handed her another few large bills. “They’ll feel better with both.”

“Not my first rodeo, Hale!”

Peter and Derek watched them drive away. “You fly back to Beacon Hills today. I’ll drive the chest back.”

“You’re going to stop and see Stiles aren’t you?”

He shrugged and smiled at the same time. “Michael is on his way home. I need you to make sure everything is okay. He belongs there and I want him and his family to feel like it. The sooner they are settled the better off we will all be.” Derek could not fully articulate this feeling, the need for Michael and the kids to be safe now that he knew about them.

“I’ll take care of it. But make sure this car gets back in one piece. I don’t want to have a large bill to settle.” Peter paused and then hugged Derek. “Stop being so cavalier with your safety. Being alpha isn’t doing it all on your own.”

Derek rolled his eyes. “Peter, you’re loaded, don’t worry about the car. And it will be fine. I’ll see you in a few days. And…you’re right, but they’re kids. They need to be in school.”

“Then start using the adults.” Peter pulled out his phone as he headed up the ramp. He whispered, “They really aren’t kids anymore.”

* * *

 

The Special Agent in Charge for the San Francisco FBI Office walked into the bullpen and over to the area that Agent Camille Adams and Agent Sam Winchester called home. “Look, I didn’t want the real life Mulder and Scully under my roof, but I got you. This being Northern California we’re used to odd things, but I want you to step up the investigation into the tagging. Got a report of a mob in Oakland last night in the warehouse district. Lots of those tags you reported were spotted. Kids have some videos online that were disturbing.”

Adams pulled up a few images and motioned for Sam to do the same. “Any names we can interview?”

“Oakland PD sent over some camera images, but the only place of interest is a tea shop owned by a British foreign national, Geoffrey Price.” The SAC frowned. “No one wants this going on in their jurisdiction. See what you find and keep it low profile.”

The two agents traded looks before standing. Sam pulled on his suit jacket. “We’re on it.”

They didn’t say anything until they were in the car. Camille got in the driver’s seat. “He’s listed in the Paranet?”

“Yes and is very highly rated by the members. Perhaps we should call ahead.”

Sam tried several times, but no one picked up. By the time they got there they noticed the tea shop had been ransacked. Oakland PD was on the scene.

“What happened?” Sam asked one of the patrolmen after showing his badge.

“We’re piecing that together. Got a call from the bakery over there that the place looked looted. Mr. Price is a nice man and doesn’t deserve this according to all the locals. He was something of a father-figure to many of the people around here.”

“Was he there when this happened?”

The officer shook his head. “No one was in there when we arrived. There is a sign of a struggle though, but no blood or anything.”

The agents looked around. Adams looked with her other abilities and frowned some more. She watched as Sam took pictures with his phone. She walked around and tried to make sense of what she ‘read’ around the place. “Do you have his call logs?

“We’re working on those. Requesting credit card and bank activity.” The officer pulled out his note pad. “The alarm company told us when they had been set and when they went off.”

The agents walked back outside and were handed a tablet. Adams scrolled through the phone listings and looked up quickly. “Price called someone at the university either very late last night or very early.”

“Sir, we have some traffic camera pictures, but they aren’t very clear.”

Sam looked at them and didn’t react, but he knew this wasn’t going to end well. “Thank you, officer. Please send copies to use by email.” He pulled Adams away and started looking at the area around the tea shop. “Looks like some of our Hale friends had a visit to the tea shop last night.”

“The number dialed was to a professor of Anthropology, I fail to see a connection,” Adams said.

“We have to see what they know. I don’t like coincidences.”

* * *

 

Michael pulled up to the gates of Hale Manor and stopped. It was all so different now than when he grew up in Beacon Hills. The fact that there were two Beacon Hills County Sheriff’s Department cars outside didn’t give him pause. He knew that there were two members who also belonged to the pack. Deep down he knew how helpful that could be in the long run.

Passing through the gates, he took in the winding nature of the driveway and also how the landscaping was laid out. “Impressive, the defenses are hidden but there.” When he got to the parking pad, he noticed the garage built into the side of the hill with the massive house above them. “They went all out.”

“Is this where we are going to live now, daddy?” asked Jasmine.

Liz got out of the car and pulled Nicky out of his car seat. It had been a flurry of activity to get them to Beacon Hills in two days, but she understood the urgency. Their safety had never been assured in San Diego. A pack based on blood would be far better for them all she knew. But still, it was a lot to do in a short time. Nicky settled into her arms and she felt a powerful buzz in the back of her skull. “This place is full of magic, Michael.”

“Hey,” came the call from an older man in a uniform.

Michael turned to greet him after picking up his daughter. “Hello, I’m Michael…”

“Michael Hale, I know. I can see the resemblance. Plus I’ve met you before, John Stilinski, Sheriff of Beacon Hills County.”

It took a moment before Michael smiled broadly. “You were a deputy back then, but I remember you!” He offered his hand and shook the sheriff’s. “You’re Derek’s in-law!”

“Future in-law,” John answered.

Peter walked down the steps and smiled at the family. He grabbed a bag that Brett was carrying. Porter and Patrick flanked him and offered their introductions. He watched Liz take in the place; her comment ringing in his head. “Yes, this place is full of magic.”

Joining them were Lynn and Bronson. She shook Liz’s hand and motioned around the air. “We’ll have to have Stiles come home and place you firmly inside the protections. But since you are with Michael, the wards don’t consider you a threat.”

“Mommy, will the dark man be here too?” Nicky asked quietly.

“Dark man?” Elizabeth asked, a tremor in her voice betraying her sudden fear.

Lynn and Bronson moved as one to start looking outward. Michael moved closer to his son. “Nicky, what dark man?”

“He was in the woods behind the house and the street when we went to the store. He had mean red eyes, but not like yours, daddy.”

“There is nothing amiss,” Bronson stated. He moved close to Michael. “If I may? There is an old shamanic technique that might shed some light since he is so young.”

Liz nodded and handed Nicky to Michael. “He’s never said anything before.”

Bronson placed a hand on Nicky’s head and his other in Lynn’s hand. Breathing deeply, he let the warm air fill his lungs as he began to read the youngest Hale. The boy carried gifts, but was not a born wolf. Bronson moved past that and towards the dark images he felt in the boy’s mind.

_He was in the boy’s room back in San Diego looking out the window at night. Something was calling his name. Shadows moved in the large thicket behind the house and his name was being whispered. He wanted to call for his daddy, but something stopped him. There they were, the mean red eyes that were on the street sometimes. They were just past the playground and they wanted to get him. Slowly he put his hand on the window…_

Bronson broke the connection and stroked the boy’s head. He raised a finger to keep questions from being asked instantly. “Let’s get everyone settled and then we will talk.”

Everyone started moving towards the house, but Bronson stayed outside, looking around. Lynn was near him and he looked her in the eye. “The entity knew who the boy was. He’s being targeted. Lynn, I don’t know what it is, but it is very old and very powerful. It wants the boy.”

* * *

 

He wasn’t in the Dream Realm, not like he’d known it both whole and shattered. Everything was disturbed with an underlying buzz of energy that felt alien, at least to him. Images blurred in his sleep, not like he’d experienced before. The feint buzz of ants crawling under skin is how the energy felt.

‘ _Too long have we suffered! Too long were we forced to hide! Find the jailed One. Kill the Grigori_!’

Something familiar pulled Stiles from his deep disturbed slumber. It was the warm caress that he’d been missing for a week. Then the banging on the door started.

“Who the hell is at the door?”

Stiles pulled his head out of his cocoon of blankets, frowning at the offending door and then the clock on his desk. “Are you kidding me?” The mess of dreams he’d been lost in fell away in a heap. Quickly he pulled on his sleep pants and opened the door.

“About time!” Derek pulled Stiles into a hug, giving him a tight squeeze. “Thought I would surprise you.”

“At 6:30 in the morning? Are you crazy,” Stiles whispered as he pulled Derek back out into the hall. He looked at Derek and frowned. “Have you been driving all night?”

Derek shrugged. “It’s been a rough few days and I could feel your distress. I was going to see you later, but stopped instead of heading to Peter’s place in San Francisco.” He pulled Stiles further down the hall and into the almost empty common area. A few night owls/early birds were moving around, but no one gave them any mind. “You feel weird.”

Stiles started to get his back up, but deflated at the open expression on Derek’s face. “Something is off and I’m not sure. My new roommate is a practitioner of some form, but that shouldn’t be enough to make me this jittery.”

Taking a moment, Derek nodded and gently pushed Stiles towards his dorm room. “I’ll head to Cameron’s to grab a nap. Meet me there when you’re done with your classes.” He pulled Stiles back in for a kiss and walked away.

His cousin wasn’t too happy being awoken but quickly pulled Derek into a hug. “Last we heard you were on a Mexican adventure.”

“That’s mostly settled. Head to class and then bring everyone back. I have to run up to SF, but I’ll be back by the time all of you’re done with class.”

Derek made the trip in rush hour traffic. He was bone tired, but the cargo he was transporting was vital to finding answers. Finding Peter’s house wasn’t difficult and he had the codes to get in through the garage. Lugging the large chest up the stairs, he left it in the living room. A long hot shower shook off some of the fatigue, but sleep wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. Too much was happening.

Curiosity got the best of him and he started looking around. The study was a disaster and all the bond and stock certificates were filed away. “Damn, Peter didn’t tell me it was this much!” He rifled through some of the statements and shook his head. The buzzing from his phone broke his concentration.

A text from Sam forced Derek to make some snap decisions. He texted Cameron and then texted Jackson. Both groups would come to him and he’d deal with several issues at once.

* * *

 

“An ifrit?” Scott exclaimed. “What is that?”

Kira and Erica exchanged a look and Isaac rolled his eyes. Kira patted Scott on the arm even though she’d already explained once. “A fire demon according to Arabic legends. The street cam caught an image that the police can’t explain.”

Ethan’s eyes narrowed on the young lady. “And you know this how?”

“The police brought the picture to my mother to look at. She consults on some of the more…odd things that happen around here.” Kira smiled. “You aren’t even the closest thing to strange around here.”

“But how does she know it’s an ifrit?” Isaac asked.

“The image was a winged creature, demon-like, in the fire.” Kira pulled out her tablet and showed them an image from the Internet. “The image my mother saw was bad, but she was adamant it was an ifrit.”

Scott rubbed his jaw and shook his head. “Someone sent a fire demon after us. And that is the tip of the iceberg.” He started texting Allison so she knew what was going on. 

Erica pulled out her own tablet and started typing. “We need to figure out who would send such a creature after us and who is capable. Those aren’t the same thing. School was supposed to be a vacation from the insanely supernatural.”

“And we need to figure out what Kira is,” Aiden added. “You aren’t a wolf and you know a lot. Just curious.”

Scott growled, but Kira patted his arm. “Calm down, its fine. I’d do the same thing.” She handed Scott some papers and looked around the room. She was happy to be in the wolves’ den again. “My dad knows things and keeps in contact with people like us. Weird things are happening everywhere.”

Scott flipped through the sheets of paper and started passing them around. Some of the things the clan had been briefed on, but lots was local stuff they had no clue about. The attacks a year before and the loss of a local leader both stood out. The obituary on Father Laughlin gave Scott pause. “We knew him.”

“A great loss for us. He knew so much, but shared only little bits of it.” Kira sat back and started drinking her tea. “We think he was murdered, but the Italian authorities claim it was an accident.”

Everyone stopped talking and looked at Kira. Isaac pointed at the obit and asked, “Why do you think that?”

“He was summoned to Rome soon after he discovered something. Very soon after he got involved with you.” She shrugged. “We hoped you would have some idea why he went to Rome.”

Looking back at the papers and the tablets, Scott shook his head again. “I can ask Derek or one of the emissaries, but I have no idea.” There was something but he couldn’t recall right away. He finished texting Allison and made a note to call Stiles in the morning.

* * *

 

Both groups in the Bay Area made it to Peter’s place with ease. Jackson frowned at the pile of sleeping bags and the air mattresses, but didn’t say anything. Cora motioned to them and rolled her eyes. “Derek?”

“Sleepover and I wanted us all in the same room,” he passed out plates and napkins. “Eat while the pizza is hot.”

“Okay man, spill, what happened in Mexico?” Boyd asked before taking a bite out of his deep dish slice.

“Nothing good in Mexicali, that’s for sure. Hunters were taking teenage weres and trying to turn them against other wolves. We found what we were looking for and that’s heading back to Beacon Hills on Sunday.” Derek pulled out his phone and passed it around. “The tags? Anything new?”

Cora and Allison traded looks and the huntress nodded and answered, “We parkoured through Oakland the other night and ran into some supernatural crap.”

Jackson recounted the events with Price. Lydia cleared her throat. “So there is something across the bay using the tags that mean the same thing I’ve been seeing?”

“Pretty much,” Boyd responded.

“And at the same time, Scott’s group still has that summoner working against them,” Allison added. “An ifrit attacked them the other night.”

Stiles sighed and shook his head. “Why am I just hearing about this?”

“He said he was going to call…” Allison stopped knowing that Scott could get distracted over some very simple things. He was a great guy, but there were times she wanted to punch him in the arm. “He’s your best friend!”

“I get it,” Stiles said as he raised his hands in surrender. He flipped through the pictures and took in everything that was going on in all three places.

Derek pulled Cora and Cameron close to him. “I have news; Michael is back in Beacon Hills and he so are his two kids. Jasmine is five and Nicky is three.”

The Hales pulled back and then started jumping up and down laughing. “Why aren’t we there this weekend?” demanded Cora.

“Give them some time to adjust and everyone is to come back next weekend.” He smiled and then took a deep breath. “We may even have answers to some questions then.”

“In that case, why don’t we eat and relax,” Danny said. “And discuss if friends are invited to the clan event next weekend.”

* * *

 

Sam slapped down some black and white photos on the table in front of his partner. “The traffic cams show the kids were in the area for a bit. And they showed them leaving an hour before the alarms were set. Thirty minutes before the call to a professor of anthropology at Berkeley.”

Agent Adams flipped through the new pics. “They might not know what happened, but we know they didn’t do it. The time stamps prove that. Who was the call to?”

“Dr. Singh…”

“Dammit,” Camille said as she slammed her fist down. “They know each other through the Paranet. Contact Derek and get Cora’s contact info. We need to know why Price would call Singh so soon after that visit.”

“We also have a disturbance near where McCall’s son is staying in Davis.” Sam rubbed his chin and frowned. “Ever feel like there are so many moving pieces, but the real action is right in front of you?”

“Yes, and you figure it out right before you get killed in the movies.”

* * *

 

Michael finished his run, wiping the sweat off his forehead with his t-shirt. Summer was still in full force leaving him in running shorts and shoes alone. Memories of his childhood superimposed on the current landscape of the Preserve. Hale lands these still were and always would be. Tucking his shirt behind his back again, he started the return around the dwindling lake and towards the main house.

Michael knew Derek was catching up on some much needed sleep. He could hear the beta, Porter, working on one of the gardens. Emily had Nicky in the carriage house. No one else on residence since Liz took Jasmine to start school in Beacon Hills. Michael chuckled that it was the same school many of the Hales attended growing up. Brett was already at Beacon Hills High School and that just made Michael feel old that his ward was attending the same school he’d graduated from not that long ago.

Despite being an alpha and having all the healing powers that entailed, Michael did his cool down stretches before entering the kitchen. Being home made his senses even stronger; Aunt Talia always told them that the connection between the land and pack would strength the wolves, but in a matter of days Michael could feel how true that was.

“Are you making breakfast or just standing in the kitchen stinking the house up from your alpha sweat?” Peter snarked. “Liz is with Marin becoming a teacher. I feel for her.”

Ignoring Peter was a tactic he’d learned in his youth and was happy to be able to use it again. He pulled out some orange juice and filled a glass.

“If you want breakfast then make it yourself,” Derek said as he entered the kitchen. He gave Michael a big squeeze and smacked Peter upside the head. “The chest is in the main workroom. After you shower,” he motioned at Michael’s still very sweaty body, “we should get to work. Too many things are happening at once. Oh, Peter, send Erica some of your bath salts and the conditioner you like.”

“Those are expensive,” Peter complained as he dug in the refrigerator for some food.

“From what I found at your place in the city, money is not an issue if we have that much laying around gathering dust,” Derek answered. “We need to do something with that as well.”

Peter pulled out his phone, typed in a few commands, and slid it over to Derek. “I found three offshore accounts with some money in them as well. They were set up at the same time I was doing all that for Talia. We need to know why.”

“Let me shower and then we can get to it.” Michael downed his juice and headed back across the flagstones to the carriage house.

Derek and Peter made their way downstairs to the main workroom. They already knew the chest was full of mountain ash, but Derek didn’t want anyone, even Stiles, handling the container inside the ash. Centering his being, he reached in and pulled out an ancient container with the Hale crest burned into the top. How the hunters gained this he didn’t know, but it was almost sacred to the family.

“Couldn’t wait for me?” Michael asked as he came in still damp from his shower. “So, how gets the honors?”

Opening the container slowly, Derek turned out the contents onto the small table in the room. Ten claws came out. “Peter has crossed over once already and knew her the longest.”

Peter rolled his eyes. “Of course it had to be me.”

“Shut up and help,” Michael barked. “Don’t think I won’t kick your ass, old man.”

Derek sat in a chair in the middle of the room. Michael sat opposite him, hold his hands. Peter stood behind Derek, “Ready?”

“No.” Pain lanced through his neck and everything went white.

_A large black wolf came up to Derek as he picked himself off the floor. The room was stark white and in the middle was an old fountain._

_“Mom?”_

_The wolf shifted and Talia Hale smiled at her son. “Derek!” She pulled him into a hug. “Time is limited. Michael and Laura’s spirit can help you with all that I taught them.”_

_“Mom, the spell you cast? What was Peter up to in San Francisco?”_

_She placed a finger on Derek’s mouth. “It’s all related. Derek, something is hidden in Lake Shasta and that is what they search for. You cannot let them get to it. That which was imprisoned must remain there. The priests helped arrange for Shasta Dam to be built when they could no longer guard the valley. They flooded the area so no one could free him.”_

_“Who?”_

_Talia shook her head. “That was never passed on. Your friend Father Laughlin may have known since it was his order that arranged the flooding many years ago. Derek, Peter was creating ways of escape that we never got to use. Finish that job. Make plans to get your people out if things go badly. The spell kept those that wanted the power under us away. They too would forget when they spent the night under the moon here.”_

_Derek squeezed his mother. “I am so…”_

_“There is nothing to forgive. Love your wizard and know we are all hoping you can win against that which comes.” She kissed his forehead. “Beware my son, there are still many who will do us harm. Go to Mazatlán and bring back its knowledge. Everything we’ve ever known or collected is needed now. Above all, know that there are many Powers in motion and only a few are known to you.”_

Derek jerked back and groaned.

“What did you learn?” Peter asked.

“I have to go back to Mexico. I have to go to our old home in Mazatlán.”


	5. 8:15 to Nowhere

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mysteries, magic, and mayhem, just another day for the Hale Clan.

Peter sifted through the old journals that’d been recovered from the old Hale vacation house. The Library tables were full of them and only the most recent ones were in English. Peter knew his Spanish and French were rusty, but some of the writing was undecipherable given time, ink, and archaic spelling. Given how the family dynamic were supposed to play out, this was Derek’s job. The translating would eventually fall to the Alpha, but for now Peter had to do the prelim work.

“I can see the wheels turning in your head,” Michael said with a broad grin as he sat down near the gamma wolf. “Those look old.” He pulled one over and opened it carefully. “Oh man, now I know why you’re grumbling. I can speak Spanish and that is it.”

“Exactly. Derek was the scholar of the family. He was destined to be the historian and archivist.” Peter closed the journal and gently grabbed the next one from his stack. “But he has to deal with other matters. Even a day trip to Davis takes away from our research into Mazatlán.”

“What are you looking for?” Michael smiled as he opened a journal written in English. The account was over three centuries old, but spoke of the family trying to find a new long term home.

“There should be a manifest in one of them that would catalog the family holdings. It should tell us what’s down in Mexico.” Peter frowned as he tried to read some that was clearly not a language he was used to.

“Perhaps this one?” Michael slid a journal over to Peter. “Looks like a list in Latin to me, but Derek will be able to tell for sure.”

Rubbing his chin as he looked through the pages, Peter nodded. “Yes, I think this it. But I don’t read Latin to confirm that.” He flagged the journal and closed it. Leaning back he took in Michael’s appearance and smiled broadly. “And what were you doing before you showed up?”

A chuckle escaped Michael as he closed the journal in front of him. “Getting the rooms set up for the kids the way they like them. Jasmine has to have her table out for her ‘friends’ to have tea while she’s at school. Nicky likes to have his superheroes on the walls. So, dad stuff. But, what’s going on in Davis that Derek had to drop everything and go down there?”

“The more he thought about an ifrit on the loose in Davis the more he became concerned. Plus, some of the things that Talia showed him…he’s a bit more mystical than he used to be.”

Peter’s thoughts ran in a circle again. Michael was raised to be an alpha and he was every bit an inch of an alpha. Derek wasn’t raised to be an alpha, but he was a deeply tested one now. The stark learning curve had its impact on Derek for sure.

“You have something on your mind, Peter. It’s written all over your face and in your scent. What is it?” Michael folded his hands and leaned across the table.

Now that they’d found Michael, all the magical blocks that had existed vanished. Peter wondered about what they still might not know, but the family ledger seemed to think the only surprises left were from Peter’s loins. Michael’s service record was exemplary; one of the top graduates from the Naval Academy and became a young Marine officer. A Navy Cross and a Silver Star for Acts of Valor were two achievements on his way to making Major. Michael was raised to be a leader and the Marine Corps amplified those traits a hundred fold.  “You and Derek need to talk. You are correct that much of this would be on Derek’s shoulders. You’re a decorated Marine and proven leader.”

Michael raised his hand to stop Peter. “Afghanistan is far different from what is happening now. I left the Corps because my family was threatened. Being back here…I feel alive in ways I’d forgotten existed. But Derek and I need to talk. I see where you are going with this conversation and I appreciate it. However, it will be private.

“You are a gamma wolf, an advisor. I’ve looked over the accounts of the last few years. I’ve spoken to Chris, Melissa, and John.” Michael paused and sat back, looking away for a moment. “Life tests us in ways that we don’t realize are happening. I saved the lives of people who were under my command. Derek should be held up as a hero, but won’t because we live in secret. Know this uncle, there will be a few changes, but Derek will make those calls.”

Peter watched as Michael walked out of the room and sighed. He looked at the manifests and frowned. “Oh Talia, how ill prepared we are for all of this.”

* * *

 

Sam Winchester and Camille Adams looked at all the evidence in front of them. The cameras caught the four members of the Hale pack running over roofs and having fun until they ran into a group of unknowns. Traffic cameras don’t capture anything but see them running very fast to the tea shop. Time stamps place them there for less than an hour, but they leave and head back to Berkeley quickly.

Geoffrey Price placed two calls after that visit and then set the alarm, but never left. There was an image from a camera that caught movement, but that was it. The alarms tripped after the place was ransacked. Price was gone and there was no visual evidence of him leaving. The internal video was blank from the time the kids entered the shop.

Additional footage showed the kids arriving at Cal so they weren’t involved. But they were the last known contact with a missing person.

“The phone calls check out too,” Agent Adams stated. “I sensed something, but I’m not a medium. I don’t know what happened. We can talk to the call recipients, but…”

“They weren’t onsite…”

None of it made any sense, but they lived in a world where the rules changed by the hour. Sam cleared his throat, “We have to talk to them. They are the only real lead we have.”

“I want this off the record for now,” Adams stated. “I don’t want Peter Hale breathing down our necks. An informal meeting with them. If they know nothing…”

Sam shook his head. “Something happened that made them run to the shop. I have Cora Hale’s number.”

Agent Adams tried to hide her smirk, but failed. “Out of all of them you have Cora’s number?”

“It’s in the database.”

“Call and see if we can’t stop by later today.”

* * *

 

‘ _It shouldn’t be this hot in September,_ ’ Derek thought as he wiped his brow. The loose t-shirt and workout shorts offered little relief from the sweltering heat. After everything in Mexico and the events just a few days ago, Derek decided to see what was going on personally. He didn’t inform anyone of his decision to drop by Davis ahead of time.

The old mission church stood before him. The family ledger showed glimpses of this and his conversation with his mom made coming _here_ a priority. Lake Shasta was the target of the Fomor, but he had no idea why. It was maddening to have all these images in his head, but it was all an upturned jigsaw puzzle; none of the pieces made sense yet.

He tried to imagine the past. See how it was back when horse and wagons were the main mode of transportation. Back when this was the extent of Spanish power and something compelled them to build an unnamed mission here. Something up at the other end of the valley drew the attention of the Spanish priests to set a watch. What caused them to bring an Order here and dedicate a watch over the northern Sacramento Valley? How would they even know something was amiss from here? By horse it would take almost two weeks to reach Shasta.

“The agreement was you’d call ahead before coming to Davis.”

Turning, Derek took in the short dumpy man in front of him. “Hammond Byers, I assume?” He’d heard plenty about the man and to say he was unimpressed on either front was an understatement.

“Yes, and I felt your presence the minute you came to Davis. Why are you here?”

One of his eyebrows arched up and his mouth frowned as he took in the man who was supposed to be a protector of sorts. Straightening his back, Derek folded his impressive arms across his chest. “Let’s get one thing clear from the beginning; I do not answer to you. You derive no authority from anyone and I hold a functional title or titles. And I am here because there was an attack on my people.”

Byers’ eyes narrowed. “You don’t get to throw your weight around with me you overgrown furball! This is my territory!”

Derek rolled his eyes and ignored the man as he walked to the mission’s doors. They were still unlocked and he entered them slowly. He was no longer limited to his enhanced werewolf senses, now he possessed other faculties hard as they were to define.

“You can’t ignore me!”

“Silence!” Derek whispered as he took in the church. It was reacting to him in subtle ways. The air was stale, the scents of his betas fading into obscurity, the lingering touches of Stiles’ magic was barely noticeable with the age of the place.

“No one comes here, Mr. Hale! I don’t know what you’re doing here!” Byers moved closer and almost grabbed the wolf, but stopped thinking such an action could cost him dearly.

Continuing to ignore the man, Derek walked around slowly. This place was open, but not officially part of the Mission System. He knew it was sanctified ground, but the prayers hadn’t been recited here for many years. This was a twilight place. He struggled to hear what it had to say so far deep was this place in memory.

“I really don’t understand…”

“If you do not shut up I will rip out your tongue and feed it to you!” Derek hissed. He turned back to the mission and tried to put his finger on what was bothering him. There was something just out of reach; a whisper of air in his ear that made him want to scratch it. It was fleeting and gone. Derek frowned and turned back to Byers. “Why are you annoying me?”

Byers sputtered for a few moments. “You…you aren’t supposed to be here!”

Hackles raised, Derek turned on the small mage. “The more you say that the more I feel like I should be here!” Pulling up to his full height, Derek tapped into his Guardian mantle and his aura grew far greater, making him feel far bigger than his actual six foot height. He let a hint of menace color his voice. “Why are you so insistent that I leave?”

The mage wiped more sweat from his face. “This is supposed to be neutral territory. People are supposed to come and go as they please.”

There was a hint of the truth in that statement, but everything about the confrontation felt off. Derek frowned and moved towards the door. The mission no longer felt neutral; there was a note of hostility in the air. The air outside was sweltering, but welcome compared to the oppressive nature of the mission. “Who comes and goes as they please?” The nature of Davis’ position became clear; Sacramento could be watched and so would the Bay Area, but using the central valley and coming through Davis into the north would reduce detection. “Who!” demanded the Alpha.

Byers cowered for a moment before he growled back. “None of your concern, Hale. This is neutral territory and you have no authority here. I’ll make sure those under my protection stay away from your people.” He turned and fled.

Derek went to his car and drove off. He knew where the pack was living and headed there quickly. Glancing at his watch he knew they should all be in class, but two heartbeats in the house told a different tale. He knocked and frowned when Isaac opened the door.

“Derek!” Isaac slammed the door closed and then opened it again. “What brings you here?”

Sounds of scurrying filled the air and Derek sorely wanted to rub his head. “Why aren’t you and…” he sniffed the air and sighed “Aiden in school?” he pushed by the tall blond and could see the makings of a day long gaming session beginning.

Aiden cleared his throat. “We didn’t want to go today. Totally boring!”

Two voices carried up the sidewalk. Derek leaned against the wall as Scott and some girl he’d never met came in. “Taking a break?”

Scott jumped two feet and then sighed. “Derek! Hey, yeah I have a lab in three hours. Kira wanted to play a round of COD so I brought her over. Derek Hale, Kira Yukimura.”

Derek immediately noticed the familial resemblance. “How is your mother?” Derek asked as he shook Kira’s hand.

She blinked and then smiled. “She’s fine, but I didn’t know she knew you.”

“She knew my mother. I only met her one when I was fourteen.” He smiled at her and then turned to Scott. “All of you are coming home this weekend remember? Beware of Hammond Byers; I had a run in with him earlier. He isn’t to be trusted.”

“Told ya!” Kira shouted as she punched Scott in the arm. “He’s a snake.”

“Okay…”Scott muttered. “What are you doing here?” He dropped his backpack and headed into the living room. “Not that it isn’t nice to see you…”

 “An ifrit showed up and attacked you…” Derek really wondered about common sense sometimes. “I had all that stuff in Mexico, but wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Scott nodded as he took the controller away from Isaac. “We’re mostly fine.”

“I need to head back. Isaac, Aiden, go to class. Scott please tell Ethan and Erica I said hello. It was nice to meet you, Kira.” He made his way back out. Even though he sensed something watching he acted normal as he got in his car. Something was not right in Davis.

* * *

 

Liz Hale found Beacon Hills to be quaint in all the right ways. It was a nice sized town with enough people to feel large and yet not know everyone. Taking over as the Biology and Chemistry teacher at the high school wasn’t here ideal career move, but it got her out of the house. The fact that she could keep an eye out on Brett was also a good perk.

Picking up Jasmine wasn’t a big deal and she loved to hear her daughter’s thoughts about her day. But taking her to the grocery store was never fun. Still, Liz needed a few things and she knew Derek was planning a major shopping excursion soon with all the college kids coming home to meet the family.

She was new enough to Beacon Hills that she could sense things that weren’t part of the norm. The magic at the manor was amazing, but the background around the rest of the area was only above normal. Still as she herded her daughter towards the store. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted a uniform. It was only a few days, but she liked Patrick and John. They were down-to-Earth guys who did the job because they wanted to keep people safe.

This uniform though belonged to a young handsome man. She smiled at him as she passed by and headed to the produce section. “You know, Jasmine, we should get daddy to plant a winter garden.”

“Yes, he can plant corn.”

Liz turned and noticed the deputy was near her. It was then that she picked up that he wasn’t ‘of’ this place. He was different in ways that would be hard for any native to ever sense, but she could see it.

“Mommy, is Uncle Derek going to make cupcakes?”

She laughed at her daughter and spied the deputy looking at her. “Why would you say that?”

“People are coming soon and we should have cupcakes.”

Deciding it was best to take the bull by the horns she spotted an opening. “Excuse me, deputy…” She glanced at his name badge. “Deputy Parrish, could you get that down from the top shelf. They haven’t restocked and I need some.”

Parrish gave her a dazzling smile and handed her the jar she needed. “Any time, Ms…”

“Hale. Liz Hale, nice to meet you.” She shook his hand and in that moment took his measure. She hid her shock to find him so powerful, but also missing something. “Just moved here.”

“Oh, are you related to the Hales in the Preserve.”

Liz nodded. “Yes, my husband was a Marine and is home now. Word has spread and all his old buddies have been calling nonstop. Anyway, I need to get moving. Thank you so much.”

Quickly she finished her shopping while keeping Jasmine entertained. But she kept pondering the handsome young deputy. A quiet word with either John or Patrick and it would be examined. But there was no malice in him, but there was something off. And in her experiences off could be far worse than open malice.

* * *

 

It was nice to get out of his dorm even if it was just a visit to Cameron’s apartment. He smiled at Lydia and waved at their host. He still couldn’t believe that Danny was dating, not doing, but _dating_ Leighton. Sure he was all that, but he was also a partial incubus. But if anything Danny was clearly the one who ran that show.

“You’re late,” Lydia stated as she started dealing out cards. “Put your offering in the kitchen and join us.”

Stiles could not believe the changes the apartment underwent since the beginning of school. It was now fully furnished, nicely appointed, and comfortable. He kicked off his shoes and headed to the kitchen with the makings for some taco dip. “I’m five minutes late, no need to get huffy!”

“Oh I don’t know, jumping to conclusions seems to work best for you,” snarked Leighton. He leaned over and kissed Danny’s cheek.

Cameron laughed while he picked up his cards. “Guess you are going to have to pay that price for a long time, Stiles.”

“Already said I was sorry a million times,” Stiles muttered while he started assembling his dip.

“Yeah, I know, but I like busting your balls!” Leighton got up and grabbed some chips and put them in the bowls that Cameron had out. “So what time are we leaving tomorrow?”

“Ten,” Lydia said as she arranged her cards. “Loser drives.”

“That’s my car and I’m not sure I want Stiles or Danny driving it,” Cameron said as he looked over his cards. “Can’t remember the last time I played Uno.”

“Be prepared for a beat down,” Danny announced as he grabbed some chips for his plate. “I can’t wait to meet Michael. We’ve heard so much about him.”

Cameron shook his head and the smile on his face looked lost to memory. “He was the best growing up. Derek and I were close, Derek _loved_ Michael. He’s the guy everyone liked in school and even though he was good looking, popular, and smart he was also a sweet guy. I bet his kids are great. Derek followed him around and Michael never complained.”

“You sure I’m invited?” Leighton asked. The reunion seemed like it could be heavy.

“Definitely,” Lydia answered. “Stiles hurry up so we can play. And it’s the first time most of us will have met Michael. Scott, is bringing his new…not girlfriend from what I gather so Danny should bring his friend.”

Cameron watched as Stiles carried his dip into the room. The bags under his eyes and the slight tremor in his voice would go unnoticed to a normal human, but they stood out to him. “How is your new roommate?”

He hesitated for a moment and then shrugged. “Don’t see him much, but he’s odd. He plays at magic, but I don’t sense much around him.”

“Probably played too much D&D,” Leighton added as he took a bite of the dip. “Oh man, this is good! All is forgiven!”

“You are way too easy,” Lydia frowned. “I’d need jewelry before I forgave him, but I’m a lady and boys are so easy.”

Groans came from all over the room as she smirked. “Oh, sucks to be you Cam, draw four.”

“Already?” Cameron exclaimed. “We just started.

“I didn’t have green. Deal with it.”

Cameron grumbled, but noticed Stiles relax ever so slightly. He’d make a point of having everyone over more often. He’d look into the roommate and see what was up first hand. Derek would never forgive him if something happened to Stiles. “Ha, reverse! Watch out Lydia, I’m coming for you!”

“Oh, please!”

* * *

 

It was late when the Berkeley Four met with the FBI at a local coffee shop. Jackson handed out some iced teas while the Feebs drank coffee.

“As much as we like to stay out late, how can we help?” Allison asked.

Camille handed over some files and then looked at them. “What happened at Geoffrey Price’s the night you were there?”

Boyd arched an eyebrow and pulled the file over. “It was the only place that seemed safe at the time.”

“We figured that,” Sam stated. “But what happened there?”

“Why are you asking?” Jackson asked. “This isn’t a random visit.”

“No, Price is missing and we have no idea where he went…the whole thing is odd,” Adams stated as she showed them a few photos. “You were the last ones to see him. He placed two calls after you left, but you were there.”

“We saw something evil,” Boyd said. “Other than that…”

Sam sighed and shook his head. “As far as we can tell nothing was missing, not even the money.”

Cora looked at some of the pictures and frowned. “Did you see a large bound journal that locked?”

Boyd pulled the photos over and nodded. “He showed us one and I think he got it from behind the counter.”

Quickly, Adams looked over the inventory that the police cataloged and frowned. “There was no journal present.”

“There was some enchantment on it,” Boyd added. “The book would not open and he said that Laughlin and he only got blank pages.”

“Something is in that journal or journals that means something,” Cora added. “You have your reason.”

“Yeah, but they still have no clue where Price went,” Jackson noted.

Allison rubbed her temples. “And somehow I doubt it is a coincidence that we met him before whomever nabbed him. Just great!”

* * *

 

Derek sat in the middle workroom meditating. He stripped off all his clothes to be comfortable. Deep underground and surrounded by magic and Hale lands, he felt safe to truly look inward. Slowly letting go of the day’s events he let his mind search for answers without pushing.

The recent conversation with Laura was front and center. _‘No matter what you think, Derek, you have to deal with the situation.’_

_‘I don’t…Laura, I’m supposed to be a great alpha but around him I want to submit.’_

_She sighed and gave him a virtual hug. ‘He’s your big brother and idol. Talk to him otherwise you will cause more trouble than solve.’_

Time flowed and images came and went as Derek drifted. Names, places, images all move through his mind, but he resisted the temptation to follow a single thread. Patterns open up to him, soon all he has to do is let his mind work. The opening of the door and the scent of family slowly brought him back to full awareness; leaving the spatial awareness behind him.   

Michael folded down onto the floor opposite Derek and nodded. “With everything that’s been going on we’ve failed to really talk and that needs to change.”

Taking in the older alpha’s body, Derek could not help but be impressed. Michael was a bit taller than him, but he had far more muscle. All the Marine training was obvious. He nodded and started to stand while pulled into a strong hug.

“Something is on your mind.”

Derek tucked his head under Michael’s like he did when he was a kid. It had been years, but he always looked to Michael for advice, safety, and comfort as a kid. They had all been close, but there was something about his big brother that Derek found he missed far more than he realized. There had been two major rocks in his life, Laura and Michael. The ‘adults’ didn’t count. He loved his parents, aunts, and uncles, but their perspectives weren’t close to his; it was the price of adulthood. He took the lessons Michael taught and shared them with Cameron and Daniel. Had Robert been older he would have shared with him as well.

“How will this work?”

Michael spotted an alcove with a bench. He pulled them both over, quickly sitting them down, and embraced Derek again. “I opened the family tome and have seen what you have. Derek, you have been my little brother since Aunt Talia gave birth to you. I was five and held you and…you’re my little brother. I feel like I failed you after the fire. I abandoned you and Laura. If I had known…”

“There was no way to know. The spell made us forget and gave us safety.” Derek hugged Michael closer. “My instincts tell me to submit to you. I’m supposed to be this great alpha or alpha prince and I feel…feel safe here.”

Michael squeezed harder. “You are the strongest alpha I’ve ever felt. There is nothing wrong with feeling safe with me. There have been multiple alphas in the family before. And the senior wasn’t necessarily the strongest. We will work out how this will…work. But above all, Derek, we are _family_. And I will do everything to keep all of us safe. It wasn’t just hunters after us and that changed things. We will not be unprepared now.”

Derek chuckled while he pulled back and smiled. “It will be nice to share the burden. We need to establish pack bonds. It odd being close but not fully connected like we used to be.”

“We will when everyone is here,” Michael smiled as he stood up. He looked down at Derek and chuckled. “Ten?”

Laughing, Derek nodded and blushed at the same time. “Yeah, ten.”

“Told ya not to worry, that it would grow. And I told you not to listen to Peter.” Michael walked over and pulled on his shorts. “We need to think about how we are going to house everyone.”

“Peter is on it. I never thought this place would feel small.” Derek looked at the time and motioned for Michael to go. “Liz will be looking for you.”

“It’s fine. Ours is a partnership of love and friendship. She knows how much this means to me. The kids love you, by the way. Soon Jasmine and Nicky will be asking for Uncle Derek to tuck them in.” Michael pulled Derek in for another hug. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Good night, Mikey.” Derek grinned at Michael’s slight scowl.

“Night, Der-bear.”

Groaning, Derek face palmed. _Paybacks…_

* * *

 

The first arrivals were the Berkeley group. Porter met them at the garage and helped them with their luggage. He helped Jackson since the others declined assistance, though Cora gave Jackson a withering glare.

While Boyd, Allison, and Jackson went to their rooms first, Cora took off for the patio. She spotted Michael and in an instant was in his arms. “Mikey!”

“Cora-bit,” he exclaimed while hugging her tight. He gave her a huge kiss on the forehead and then nuzzled her neck. Tears sprang to his eyes as he laughed.

Cora hugged Michael for dear life while tears flowed too. “Oh, I missed you!” They hugged for several minutes before they separated. She looked down and saw Nicky. “You must be Nicholas!”

The little boy nodded while climbing up his daddy. “Daddy, who is she?”

“Nicky, this is your Aunt Cora.”

Before she knew it she had her arms full of squirming little boy. She accepted the hug and returned it. Suddenly, the house felt like home in ways it hadn’t since it was rebuilt. She gave him a squeeze when he laid he head on her shoulder. “You might not get him back,” Cora warned.

“You say that now, but in twenty minutes he’ll be solid dead weight,” Michael said while he chuckled. He ran his fingers through his son’s hair. “Come on, I know he’s hungry and Emily is out with Patrick getting food for the weekend.”

Over the course of the next two hours, all the college attendees were back in Beacon Hills. Derek laughed as he watched John hand over two twenties to Patrick. He shrugged when the sheriff glared at him. “I had your word it would be a month.”

The Alpha shrugged. “Things happen, John and you know this.” He went back to chopping vegetables. He smiled as Stiles gave him a tackle hug. “I should yell at you since I have a knife in my hand, but you don’t listen.”

“Totally saw it,” he kissed Derek on the cheek and then ran over to Erica to give her a hug. “How is school?”

“I live with slobs! Other than that it’s great!” Erica pulled Boyd closer and whispered to Stiles. “Have you met Michael yet?”

“Just got here!” Stiles moved over to the table in the dining room and grabbed some water. “There is a drought going on and we have glasses of water sitting out?”

“Two weeks at school and already becoming an activist,” mocked Jackson. “That was fast.” He quickly ran away when Porter showed up and threatened to put him in a headlock.

The greetings flew fast and furious after that. John told them all to go get cleaned up so they could eat out on the patio. Liz Hale made her way over and met Cora first. Jasmine loved meeting everyone.

“Aren’t you a little overwhelmed,” Allison asked Liz as many of the members trickled back down. She waved at Jasmine who was hiding behind her mom’s legs.

“It is a little intimidating, but I haven’t seen Michael happier.” Liz motioned to the corner where Michael had a beer in one hand and was hugging Cameron in another. “Finding out he had living family members was a gift I don’t think he ever imagined. That’s why it was so easy to drop everything and move here.”

Lydia came over and hugged Allison while greeting Liz and Jasmine. It took her a moment and then smiled at Liz. She reached over and placed her hand on Liz’s. “You should be fully inside the wards now. I was wondering why your aura felt a bit off.”

Liz blinked a few times and then exhaled. “I had no idea they were that strong and how well camouflaged their strength is. And the low grade headache is gone too. Thank you!”

At another part of the patio Brett was being introduced to everyone as well. Isaac and Scott took it upon themselves to make sure he was included in everything. The twins joined them a few times as did Boyd and Erica. It wasn’t very long before Brett was cracking jokes and laughing at the antics of the college kids. Bronson Key’s two kids, Brandon and Natalie, joined in even though they were two years younger.

Michael watched as his ward looked carefree for the first time in ages. His smile broadened as he took in his son passed out in Derek’s arms. Twice Emily, and once Liz, tried to get him only to be motioned away by Derek. Jasmine was excitedly sitting with Allison, Lydia, and Cora while they talked about various things at their schools. Mia and Karina spent of their time with Boyd’s group, but would move over to the smaller gathering from time to time.

“You are practically glowing,” Stiles said as he came up next to Michael. “And to be honest I’ve never seen Derek so relaxed.” Both of them turned their heads to another part of the patio where the ‘older’ adults were chatting and drinking margaritas. Marin, Lynn, and Jennifer told stories with Peter and Chris adding commentary. “Seems like Melissa and Liz are going to be best buds.”

“So you are tied to Derek. Nice to meet the man who makes him happy.” Michael clasped Stiles on the shoulder. “Your dad speaks highly of you though Patrick has heard tales from the station…”

“Lies, all of them lies. Bunch of lying liars who lie,” Stiles jumped in.

Michael started laughing again. “With such a hearty and well verbalized defense I must side with you.” He grinned. “I didn’t think my kids would get to grow up in a raucous environment like I did and now I can only imagine what Cora is going to teach Jasmine.”

“Cora? Don’t let Scott’s innocent visage fool you; lurking behind those puppy eyes is a master prankster.”

“I heard that!” yelled Scott from across the patio.

“I want to hear more,” Kira yelled.

Stiles waved them both off and turned back to Michael. “I have four years of school ahead of me before I’ll even let Derek think about us having kids. But he looks happy with your son.”

“Nope, that is his nephew now.” Michael led Stiles over to where Derek was sitting. “Little brother, your partner here is worried you’ll want one of your own soon.”

Laughs went up around the patio area. Derek smiled and then winked at Stiles. “He’s got a few years reprieve before we start using the magic of modern technology and lots of money to bring us kids.”

“How many kids?” Stiles asked as his eyes narrowed.

“Oh, five or so.”

Everyone started laughing as Stiles’ face lost all color and he started sputtering.

“You said he was easy to wind up,” Liz laughed with Melissa. “This could be fun. Brett isn’t an easy target.”

The evening wound down and everyone started heading to their rooms. Leighton was bunking with Danny, but Kira had her own guest room. Stiles lingered outside and took in the now massive silver birch that was a gift from the Summer Court. The magic of the Preserve was far stronger than Stiles recalled. He paused for a moment and took in the feel. A native alpha had returned, but that alone would not account for what he was feeling.

“I thought I felt a presence out here.”

Stiles turned and nodded to Liz. They had not had a chance to talk except when they met. “This place is magical in more way than one.”

She walked to the birch and nodded. “It is far more than I expected. I must talk to you and sooner rather than later.”

Instantly Stiles nodded and motioned for them to sit on a bench. “What is it?”

“Nicky, he’s seen a dark man with red eyes near our old house and in San Diego on the roads. Bronson confirmed this and Lynn agrees that it was not his imagination.” She paused and her hand shook for the briefest moment. “You and Lydia are very powerful and resourceful from what I hear. Derek hasn’t had a chance to really research this, but…”

Stiles placed his hand on hers and nodded. “While we are here we’ll look into it. Not much can get close to the house and even less in it. Though there aren’t many bodies here while we are away…”

“Porter is capable as is Emily. Derek, Peter, Chris, and Michael will be on site as well. I’m no slouch either, but I am reluctant to take Nicky from the house or grounds.” She sighed and shook her head. “I’m glad there are plenty of places for him to play, but if he wandered off for even a second…”

“There are two alpha werewolves in residence, tracking him would not be a problem.” Stiles stood up and offered a hand to her.  “Let’s get together in the morning with Lydia. Maybe Bronson has an image we can work with and see what we can do.”

“Thank you.”

Stiles shook his head and gently squeezed her hands. “No, thank you. Your return has been nothing less than a God send.”

* * *

 

Derek put his book down when Stiles walked into their suite. He smiled and took in the maturing young man. It was easy to see the boy in the man he was becoming. But more so he could feel how powerful Stiles was.

“Hey big guy.”

“Stiles.” Derek got up and walked over to his mate. Their bond was strong but it needed nurturing too. He kissed Stiles deeply and pulled him close. “Glad everyone is here.”

“I am very glad you found Michael and his family.” Stiles kissed Derek back. “Something has changed.” He ran his hands over Derek’s abs and chest. “Looks like it’s better than ever.”

Derek laughed and pulled Stiles toward their bed. “Lots of working out especially now that I have fewer distractions. Plus I think the magic helped as well.”

They slowly took their clothes off and climbed on the bed. Derek kissed him slowly. “I love you so much.”

Stiles ripped his clothes off and pushed Derek back. “Okay big boy. It’s been weeks and there is no way I’m not leaving a bit sore.”

Laughing again, Derek flipped Stiles over and buried his face in Stiles’ ass. Darting his tongue out, Derek savored the scent of Stiles and that special taste. There was the ever present scent of magic now, something electric under the skin which colored everything about his mate. He took his time, ignoring the college boy’s pleas to hurry. It had been too long since he’s taken his time to turn Stiles inside out.

“Fuck, Derek!” Stiles moaned into his pillow and whimpered as the stubble of his mate’s face tickled his ass in such a way as to make him ache. His dick was hard and leaking. He’d never felt so hard; a steel pole buried into the bedspread below. “Oh please!”

Derek pulled away and started nibbling up Stiles’ back while he fingered his lover open even more. Finally, Derek was at the limit of his own control and needed release too. Stiles’ scent was completely covered in lust and desire. He reared back, bring his cock into alignment and teased Stiles with his head. Finally, he forward and entered him.

“Fuck yes! Come on, D, give it to me!”

One powerful thrust and Derek growled. He picked up the pace, angling his cock to make sure Stiles was getting maximum pleasure. He could feel Stiles’ tightening and releasing in time to his thrusts. They were in sync and it magnified their pleasure. Finally, he reached around and gripped Stiles’ cock. A slow twist of the wet knob and Stiles screamed, cumming all over the place. The intensity of that orgasm reverberated back to Derek and made him cum as well.

“Fuck, we needed that,” Stiles muttered.

“Yes, we did.” Derek moved to kiss Stiles and smiled at his lover. “Nice to have you home.”

* * *

 

The morning started slowly for many of the household, but Lydia was down in the Library as soon as she got her coffee. Peter mentioned a manifest to her and she did read archaic Latin. Translating it didn’t take much, but the contents made her head spin.

“You got an early start,” Derek said as he refilled her cup. “Thank you for getting to that. It’s on a list for me…”

She rolled her eyes and pointed to some of the text. “There are many items there that can’t be real. This mentions three ‘protectors’ and here talks about enchanted texts from Alexandria. It mentions Samarkand, Carthage, Tyre, and Constantinople; all kinds of things from those places.  And gold, there are too many mentions of gold to be trusted. And this about statues and a relic altar. I think some of this must be an exaggeration.”

Derek sat down and pulled the text over. He placed a hand on her shoulder and looked at her. “Lydia, my family lineage is around three thousand years old; I’d give it the benefit of the doubt. From what the ledger showed me all of that sounds completely accurate. I’d love to see if there is a magic carpet. My family had dealings with Baghdad when it was the center of scholarship while Europe went Dark. Besides, Mom told me we needed what was down there. Just she failed to mention what _it_ was.”

Lydia leaned back and shook her head. “I’ve seen what you recovered from that vault in the mountains. It is impossible to imagine that this trove could exceed that in any way.”

“It is worth far more than that,” Michael added as he joined them. “We don’t know the extent of what’s down there, but remember some of it has been in the family from the beginning. It now becomes a question of how to get it out.” He gave Derek a hug and kept his hand on his brother’s shoulder.

“And how to get you in,” Danny said as he joined them. “Derek is on the border watch list as is Peter. Looks like the Calaveras have placed bounties on their heads in México. Mazatlán is on the coast, but hundreds of miles south of the border. That poses a dilemma.”

The four of them started looking at maps that Danny pulled up on the display table and wall monitor. Lydia frowned as she looked at the manifest again. “Can’t Peter use those Brownies again?”

“No,” Peter answered as he and Chris joined the party. “The distance is too great and the items volatile. They need to be brought out manually.”

“Then we are at an impasse,” Danny stated glumly.

Chris started laughing. He typed in a few things and pointed to the maps again. “You, a former top ten hacker, need to stop thinking so narrowly. Sometimes things require the Solo touch.” He frowned at the blank expressions. “Solo, as in Han Solo, smuggler.” He shot them the bird and pointed to the map. “We need a small team to get in by sea. Peter should arrange for some shipping crates to be delivered to the estate. We load them up. They get picked up, end of story.”

Lydia tapped the journal and shook her head. “Not so easy. The house has been secured and you are talking chests full of alleged gold. Derek will have to go.”

“No, I will,” Michael firmly said. “The hunters will be looking for him and any seer worth their weight will feel him coming a mile away.  I’ll fly down and meet the group. I speak excellent Spanish and I am a natural Hale Alpha. It isn’t all up to Derek anymore.”

Everyone in the room looked at Derek. Derek nodded and motioned for Chris to continue.

“That’s it?” Lydia asked. “No argument on your part? That’s not like you. Where is the ‘I’m the alpha’ we’re used to hearing?”

“He’s got a point.” Derek smiled. “He is an alpha too and he was trained for the role since he was six. He’s also a Marine Major. While I am an Alpha I will be deferring to him from time to time and vice versa.”

Michael clasped Derek’s shoulder. “Derek is the head of the house and I am the senior alpha. It was this way in the family for almost two thousand years. Roles change and the family evolves. We will evolve too.”

The group began working on plans to get a small group into Mexico when Stiles walked in. He leaned against one of the walls while others came and went. Listening let him know what was going on. He never knew that Chris had such shady contacts or that he knew how to smuggle things in and out of the country. It made him laugh, but also made sense. He moved over and tapped Lydia on the shoulder.

“Liz talked to me last night and she would like us to look into something.” Stiles moved to another of the tables and started looking through the online information they had.

Meanwhile Derek looked over the maps with Michael, Peter, and Chris. “I would not push this except that mom’s warning was clear. We need what is down there.”

Cora heard that and moved to Derek. “You spoke to Mom?”

“Yes, that was the reason we went to México, to recover her claws. We used a ceremony and I was able to commune with her briefly.” Derek squeezed his sister’s hand. “She’s very proud of us.”

Her expression softened a bit then she asked, “What did she have to say?”

“A warning about the Fomor searching Lake Shasta. Something is hidden there that must remain hidden and secure.” Derek shrugged. “All I know is that the Spanish set up the mission in Davis to watch the valley, but I’m not sure how or why.”

“We got attacked by a mob in Oakland and ran into a tea shop. The proprietor had a journal from a mission that he claimed Father Laughlin could not get to show its secrets.” Cora pulled out her phone and showed a text from Sam to Derek. “The FBI interviewed us and those journals are missing.”

“So journals that may tell us what’s in Shasta are missing at the same time we’ve been told to keep what’s hidden there safe,” Patrick Watt added.

“And we have Nicky’s mystery,” Stiles interjected from where he and Lydia were going over a few texts.

Several of the wolves looked up in a flash. Their instincts to protect Jasmine and Nicky were already in high gear. “What mystery?” Allison asked as she took in the increased tension.

Lynn and Bronson traded looks and then he spoke. “When they lived in San Diego, Nicky would see a large dark man with deep red eyes. I looked in his head and by large he was over eight feet tall and dark like a shadow. The intent from him was very malicious.”

“Well this has been cheerful,” Peter muttered. “We need to get the plan for Mazatlán done first. Whatever is down there is critical to the future it seems. Shasta is a mystery that we leave to your FBI friends for now. Those journals are the key to finding out what’s there.”

Derek stood up and stretched. “Break for lunch and some pool time. We’ll start this over in a few hours. We’ll have the ceremony at sundown.”

The Library was quickly depopulated, but Stiles pulled one of the books off the table and plopped down on one of the couches. Research had always been his thing and he was willing to follow a hunch or two.  It still amazed him how quickly the Library had grown in such a short amount of time. Not all the books in residence were theirs, but on loan from people who could not safeguard them. They had a repository of magical knowledge that was truly outstanding. Now he needed it to find out what might be following the youngest Hale.

The couch dipped near him forcing Stiles to look up. He smiled at Lynn. “What’s up?”

The senior Emissary shrugged. “You might have noticed that the magic seems more _intense_ than it used to?”

His gaze narrowed at her. “Yeah, what’s up with that?”

“Neither Marin or I know. Bronson has no idea either.” Lynn rubbed one of her rings. “I am loath to involve the Council in anything that would be completely internal to the Clan. I think Michael and Derek would both object.”

Stiles put the book down and thought about something for a moment. “Is Michael in charge now?”

“No,” Lynn answered as she shook her head. “He is however the senior alpha and Derek trusts his judgment. Derek is the Lord of House Hale, Guardian, and Protector of Golden Forest Gate. More so, Derek has proven his mettle time and again. But Michael is more of a soldier and Derek more the scholar and there is the foundation of House Hale’s future strength.” She smiled again. “But that doesn’t deal with the magical changes here.”

Stiles sat up and looked around. “What would trigger this?”

“We don’t know. But it must be examined. Now, you are looking into Nicky’s issue? Good. The images are disjointed.” She touched his hand and showed him what she saw and felt.

Stiles recoiled and shuddered. “You and Bronson got that from Nicky? He must have been terrified.”

“Indeed, but here he is safe and feels safe. We need to know what that menace is and how to stop it.” Lynn stood and made her way out of the room. “Stiles, you need to find an entry from Stanford into the Nevernever; for your safety and our clan-mates. From there you can gain entry here. Space means nothing like it does here over there. Make that a priority.”

He nodded and went back to reading, but had a better idea what he was looking for. A clearing throat forced Stiles from his book.

Derek chuckled as Stiles fell off the couch he was so enthralled in the book. “You’ve been in here three hours. Dinner is getting prepped and everyone is slowly getting ready for sundown.”

* * *

 

It was two days past a full moon and the night before the Autumnal Equinox, everyone slowly gathered near the silver birch in the large area behind the house. Officially, Cameron was stepping down as an alpha and returning to beta status in the clan, but Derek was moving that energy to Michael to bring his existing alpha spark into full union with the clan. Lynn, Marin, Scott, and Stiles would officially witness the transfer. But the practical effect was to reset the full pack bonds for all members with invited guests welcome to witness as well.

Derek took the hands of his cousins with Lynn standing behind him, Marin standing behind Cameron, and Stiles standing behind Michael. Scott faced them with Cora and Peter flanking him. The rest of the wolves were gathered in a circle around all of them with the non-wolves right behind them.

The sun fell below the horizon the balance of energies with the impending equinox was the rule of the day.

“As head of the house and family, I thank my cousin and brother, Cameron, for stepping forward to accept the mantle of alpha during trying times. As a rare wolf who is a mage also, it was a great burden. Returning to us is our cousin and brother, Michael, raised to be an alpha and is a rightful alpha of House Hale.” He closed his eyes and felt the energy of all around. Gently he pulled and felt Cameron push that alpha spark. With mental hands, Derek guided it to Michael where it joined with the existing power already present in the older man.

In an instant all the pack bonds broke and then reformed. Derek felt power course through him unlike any since his encounter with Gerard. This didn’t hurt, but was instead like a warm spring breeze after winter. All over he felt bonds branching out and even secondary bonds forming. If he was the sun, then Michael was Jupiter so strong was his pull. But he felt his niece and nephew along with Michael’s ward come into full union. Power flared again as all the magic users came back into union and he felt Cameron grow stronger, not as an alpha, but as a mage-wolf. It all happened in nanoseconds.

As the power settled, Derek allowed his wolf to come front and center to howl. The energy of the pack bonds roiled for a moment and then settled. The snap was almost physical and every member of the Clan felt the surge of energy unlike any ever.

Cameron dropped his hands and his eyes flashed born blue again, but they still had a silver ring around them. Michael flashed his and he now had a silver ring as well.

Scott shook his head and groaned. “That was intense. Wow your eyes changed. Did mine?”

Looking over at him, Marin nodded. “You too have a silver ring around them.”

All the wolves, born and turned, had silver rings around their irises. Only Derek’s were a single color and that was silver.

“This is certainly a big change,” Lynn stated.

Everyone felt stronger and more connected. Cora picked up Jasmine and nuzzled her. “Hey sweetpea!”

The little girl giggled and nuzzled Cora back.

“Um, is it me or is Cameron stronger now too?” Lydia asked Stiles.

“He is,” Marin answered. “He’s a much stronger mage than he was and his wolf strength hasn’t diminished much. It’s odd.”

Michael smiled as he looked over his clan. He could feel the connection to all of them, most importantly, his family. The world felt right again, better than it had in ages. He loved his kids and wife; they filled a hole in his soul and made new parts of him, but getting his cousins back was healing wounds that might never have healed. We wiped at his eyes watching Jasmine nuzzle Cora and then Cameron. Nicky was asleep on Peter’s shoulder; life was good.

* * *

 

“So the course is set?” Chris asked.

Michael and Derek exchanged a look and nodded. Michael pointed to the map. “I will fly down in five days. You, Peter, Aiden, and Isaac will meet that freighter on its way to Mexico and sneak into Mazatlán by sea. You’ll meet me there and we’ll see what’s down there.”

Lydia cleared her throat. “The Calaveras may have friends watching any moves, how are you going to pay for this?”

Laughing, Peter pulled up a few spreadsheets. “Part of Talia’s plan was a series of offshore accounts to cover our movements. The money will come from the Cayman’s. There will be nothing leading back to us.”

“Still smells like a trap,” muttered Isaac. Derek figured since Isaac and Aiden were ‘bored’ they could be put to good use for two weeks. Neither boy was keen for an adventure on the high seas.

“Doesn’t matter, we need to know what is down there.” Derek frowned as he looked over the plans again. “Patrick, please stay here while Peter and Chris are out of the country. Lynn, once Michael leaves please join us here as well. Things will be thin.”

They both nodded. John cleared his throat. “I’ll swing by as well. Can’t be too careful.”

On the other side of the Library, Cora sat with her group reviewing what they knew. “We need to get close to the shop and see if we can detect anything.”

“Do you mind if we swing by there on our way back?” asked Stiles. “Agent Adams is capable, but I’d like to see for myself.”

“Works for me,” Jackson said as he popped more chips in his mouth.

“See what we have to put with,” groaned Allison.

Cameron nodded. “We’ll drive down together and look at this place. Mia, are you and Karina going to San Francisco?”

Mia nodded. “We’ll be down in on Tuesday and return here on Friday. Michael is leaving then so we want to make sure there enough of us here.”

“Isaac, Aiden,” Peter called out. “We leave in the morning for Oakland. Make sure to leave your phones with Scott. They need to be in Davis while you are away.”

* * *

 

The tea shop was a mess since there was no one to clean up. Stiles and Lydia walked around while Cora and Jackson stood guard. Lydia frowned several times, but could not get a ‘feel’ for what happened. “What are you getting?” she asked Stiles.

For Stiles, he could see layers of magic around the shop. Some were very old, well-worn and buried deep in the floors and walls. Others were recent. Much of the recent activity was fading, but he caught a hint of something. Slowly, he walked to the wall that faced the main street. He leaned forward and stared at a small point. Waving his hand he watched the small rip expand.

“What the fuck! Something ripped a hole into this place from the Nevernever. Walked right in!” Stiles kept staring, trying to see where it went.

“Don’t you dare follow that!” Lydia yelled. Cora and Jackson ran inside, but she ignored them. “You have no idea where that leads. Out, everyone!” She grabbed Stiles’ shirt and pulled him away from the wall.

Cora had her phone out and texted Sam. “They know now. Let’s go!” Quickly they walked down the street to a small café where the rest of their group was snacking.

“Hey Stiles, we voted that you’re paying,” Leighton said while grabbing some chips.

Not bothering to argue, Stiles pulled out his wallet and handed the waiter his platinum card Derek gave him. “When I get questioned for this I want you to know I’m going to rat you all out.”

“Whatever,” Jackson muttered while grabbing some guacamole. “I’ve seen my fate as this generation’s financial advisor. In fact I’ve been told my summers will be spent learning all this stuff.”

Boyd finished chewing before speaking. “What did you find?”

“Something punched a hole into the shop. It bypassed the wards until it could not get out and then trashed them.” Lydia shook her head. “I pulled Stiles out before he did something stupid.”

They started talking about other things before Danny made them all get up to go. It was still over an hour of driving to get back to Stanford. Stiles sat quietly in the back while Cameron drove them back to campus. He knew Lydia was shooting him looks from time to time, but his mind was occupied with what he witnessed. Lynn’s warning played in his mind as well. There needed to be an access point from Stanford that crossed over and from there got them back to Beacon Hills. The entry point there wasn’t in doubt.

‘If you think any harder your head is going to explode,” grumbled Danny.

“Working out a problem. Lynn was clear, we need a way of escape from Stanford. Carlos and Billy mentioned the ‘ways’ a few times, but I’ve never explored them.” Stiles ran a hand over his head. “I need to consult with Carlos about this.”

The car went silent before Cameron cleared his throat. “Stiles, wait to do that until after Peter and them get back. I know Carlos has helped in the past, but we need to be careful now. The rumors about the White Council are too many to ignore.”

Stiles knew this to be true. Treachery in the Council had led to most of the wardens dying when the Hales were wiped out. The Council was split into factions. Betrayal was something the Hales knew all too well and Stiles wasn’t going to risk anything. “Yeah, I can wait. But we need to figure out how to get out of Dodge if things get dicey.”

Leighton chuckled. “You know you could ask Dr. McNamara. She probably knows a portal around Palo Alto.”

“Yeah, but can we trust her?” Lydia asked. “Too much to think about and not enough time.”

* * *

 

Scott groaned and slowly got up and dusted off his clothes. Kira was grinning at him and he sighed. Michael insisted that Scott do more sparring. With Isaac and Aiden gone, the house was quiet. Erica was more than happy to have Kira stay with her, evening the male to female ratio in the house. The downside for Scott, was more time to spare with Kira and she was a master. That was something Michael failed to disclose. “My bruises may heal…”

She waved him off. “You’re an alpha! You are built to take punishment. Besides, Michael bribed me. And before you complain, like Derek said you would, Derek said it was for your own good.”

“Of course he did,” Scott grumbled some more. He liked Michael, they all did. He knew his mom and Liz had become amazing friends in an instant. But having Michael around also made things tougher. Derek had to wing everything and even with Chris and Patrick around it still felt like there was an element of uncertainty in leadership. Scott felt like he could do things the way he wanted and not get called on it…much. But not with Michael around. Scott knew he could not mess around and this was the perfect example. Kira was a superior fighter. While Scott had a strength advantage he lacked her mobility and finesse.

Kira whacked him on the arm and smiled. “It could be worse. I could be doing this in front of Isaac.”

That was another sore point. Isaac and Aiden were off on a high seas adventure with Peter and Chris instead of attending class. How was that that remotely fair? “Okay, let’s try again.”

Scott moved and played defense, blocking her attacks, but not exploiting openings. Several times he tried that and found them to be feints. As aggressive as Kira was, there would be a point where her recovery would be hindered. He waited and the real opening happened; he pounced without a second’s hesitation. “Got you!”

She started laughing. “Took you long enough.”

“Hey, I may be slow, but I do learn.” Scott beamed and helped her up. “Now I think I can eat something.”

* * *

 

It was never easy having to keep tabs on a deputy and do it without making him or her suspicious. When Liz relayed her misgivings about Jordan to him and Patrick, John was inclined to let it slide. But she was a witch and she was new to town. Her instincts might tell her things that had long faded into the background for everyone in town, including Patrick. So now he was out on patrol with Jordan. John called it a leadership exercise; or bonding with his employees. Two of the older deputies threatened him with bodily harm or worse, getting Stiles to crack down on his diet if he so much as opened a door to a car they were going to ride in. Frankly, John thought that was a bit excessive. There was never a reason to bring Stiles and food into a small internal department matter. Now he was in the car with the always chipper Jordan Parrish and John really wondered how he let Patrick get out of this.

“You know, Sheriff, rumor has it that Michael Hale is going to be the next mayor of Beacon Hills,” Parrish flashed his bright smile and kept watching the kids climb into their parent’s cars.

“Well, I know he’s being recruited by several people to run for Council, but he doesn’t want to be mayor. But people around here miss the Hales.” John waved at several of the kids. He missed when they were uncomplicated. All those parents had no idea what was coming their way. Knowing what he did he would do it all over again. “Watch your step Kristin! Your daddy would be upset if you fell and got hurt!” The young girl waved back and climbed into her brother’s truck.

“You know everyone here don’t you?” Jordan smiled again.

“Part of the job; learning all you can and then noticing the out of the ordinary.” He wasn’t noticing much about Jordan other than he really had a sunny disposition.

“What about the other Hales? Derek is kind of reclusive. Not much is said about anyone else.”

John knew a fishing expedition when he heard one. “Talia was loved and feared in equal measure. It’s hard for the family. Derek’s had it rougher than the others. But they all have each other again. Much to the city’s eventual woe, I promise you that.”

Jordan’s smile faltered. “Why do you say that?”

“All of everything around here used to belong to the Hales. What they want they tend to get. And Michael is a former Marine. If he sets his mind to something it will get done.” John chuckled. “Him being here will actually allow Derek it bloom. And that should scare everyone.” He eyed Jordan and knew some seeds were planted. Liz was right, something was a bit off about his deputy. He’d make sure Patrick followed up, but for now John knew he had to be careful; they all did.

* * *

 

It was Derek’s grab bag fighting style against Michael’s standard Marine grab bag. It started as an even match, but Michael was more disciplined and analytical in his attacks. Derek had a slight speed advantage and greater endurance, but against the defense wall Michael was presenting in wasn’t enough.

“You are uneven, Derek. Your attacks and defense are unorthodox which serves you well,” Michael stated as he launched a counterattack. “But several times you could have won and didn’t follow all the way through and others you pursued when it was clearly a bad choice.”

Derek blocked his cousin and then executed a full leap over him to create space. He flipped and turned to see Michael’s stunned expression. “And sometimes, things are done to make sure you have no idea what to expect.” He moved left and came back with a kick that caught Michael flat footed.

Rolling with the kick, Michael laughed and did his own clearing leap. “Not bad.” He did another jump, going right at Derek to catch him off guard. A quick series of exchanges and he pinned his cousin. “How do you feel now?”

Derek groaned as he caught his breath. “Best workout in a long time. My form needs work.”

“I’m leaving early in the morning, make sure the house is guarded. Whatever it is that wants Nicky is still out there.” Michael got up and helped Derek get up. “Until we know more about that I think either you or I need to stay here.”

“Agreed, I’ll stay at the manor. Thankfully the wards are very powerful.”

“Okay, I need to shower and then play with the kids. They’ll give me a real workout.”

Derek hesitated for a moment before he shifted and pounced. Michael shifted too and they rolled around like old times.

‘ _Beware!’ ‘Danger!’ ‘They are close!_ ’

Both men stopped and shifted back to human and only heard the deep cries of ravens. Derek shifted back to his beta form and words came again.

_‘Danger!’ ‘Close!’ ‘Soon they will find it!_ ’

“What is close and find what?” Derek spoke while in beta form.

All the ravens stopped and looked at him.

‘ _The water ones.’ ‘At the shrinking lake!_ ’

Michael nodded and pulled Derek up. “I’ll handle the issues in Mexico. Looks like our mystery at Shasta is more of a priority.” He laughed and patted Derek on the back. “We can talk to ravens like our ancestors did.”

“That wasn’t one of the great mysteries I was looking to solve,” Derek deadpanned.

* * *

 

The weather off the coast of Mexico left much to be desired. Peter didn’t know why the ocean was so active, but Mother Nature was not being cooperative. Though seeing Aiden and Isaac so green around the gills did make him happy. Though Chris had to put up with their complaints far more than he did.

“Come on, we need to get off the ship now,” Chris said as he pulled his duffle bag over his shoulder. “We need to be on that trawler before the weather gets worse.”

The problem with smuggling was all the windows they had to squeeze through to get to their goal. He envied Michael. His flight from San Francisco wasn’t for another three hours and he still might beat them into Mazatlán.

“I am never getting on another boat again,” groaned Aiden. “This is cruel and unusual punishment.” Isaac only nodded his head in agreement while clutching his duffle.

They made their way up to the deck and along to the side. The speedboat was being lowered and they would follow. Peter hoped the trawler was where they said they’d be, but with the ocean acting like it was, it could be hit or miss.

Chris handed one of the deck hands an envelope and made his way down. He ignored the wolves and climbed into the speed boat. He knew more than they did time was of the essence. Once they were all aboard, they took off towards the prearranged coordinates. This was the part that made Chris nervous. He was relying on second hand contacts for this part. They had to get to port before day broke or else they risked being spotted. Aiden they could hide, but Isaac stuck out like a sore thumb.

“There, I see it,” Peter yelled to be heard over the wind and sea. Slowly they made their way to the trawler. It took time to get everyone on board and more money changed hands.

The captain of the trawler came over. “I want double. Coming out in this weather put my boat at risk.”

Peter instantly knew something was up, but nodded anyway. With a subtle signal he put Isaac and Aiden on alert. There was so much unknown where they were going and Peter feared it was a trap.

Rain pelted them as they came into the docks, Chris was thankful for the heavy winds and rain. It was after sunrise, but few would notice with the weather being so bad. He paid the captain and headed up the dock to the main area. He motioned for the boys to move and they took off quickly, heading to the hostel they would be staying at. He and Peter were staying in a condo that was rented for one of Peter’s dummy companies.

“It is too quiet, Chris,” Peter whispered in the hunter’s ear.

He nodded, but kept moving. The condo wasn’t top of the line and the key was already in hand. Everything felt wrong, but nothing was out of place. “Hurry.”

They made their way to the condo and the weather got worse. Power went out right before they got in. Luckily, Chris still carried a lighter from when he smoked. Peter brought over a candle but kept Chris from lighting it. “Pull out your flashlight and look around.”

Peter crouched down and shifted; using his enhanced senses to detect anything out of the ordinary. He got nothing, but that didn’t keep his nerves from being rattled.

“Something is up, Peter, but I can’t see anything.”

Peter pulled out his phone and sent a text to Michael. His team was in town.

* * *

 

_‘The new alpha has left, but his family is here. The young lord cannot leave…’_

_‘Yes, time to wound them all and keep them distracted…’_

_‘Take out the young mage…_ ’

Stiles felt odd and his dreams disturbing. Everything felt distant like being underwater. Groggy, he lifted his head and panicked. He flung his hand out and threw all the kinetic energy stored in his engagement ring at the shadow creature hovering over him.

The creature howled and went through the wall, shattering the sheetrock and sending dust everywhere. The poster of Thor’s hammer was shredded in the process and the buzzing Stiles felt for days vanished instantly. Quickly he jumped out of bed and pulled on some clothes, sleeping naked had its downside. Screams came from down the hall, but Stiles needed to focus. Something attacked him…and he looked over and saw his roommate missing. Dust was everywhere, but the bed looked slept in and empty.

“Oh great.”

A large wail echoed in the air waking students throughout the dorm. Stiles opened his ‘supply’ kit and smiled as he gripped his blasting rod. Turning just in time the creature climbed back through the hole in the wall. Centering his energy, he gathered his will for a fight.

“ _Filthy mage, you are our food!”_

Stiles could make out that the creature could have been his roommate if not for the overly large mouth, razor teeth and nasty smell. But the hair and size looked familiar, as did the remains of the t-shirt it was wearing.

“ _Venti gelidi!”_ Stiles yelled. A blast of ice nailed the creature and sent it through the window and down into the quad. “Two holes in the room, Derek is going to love this bill.” He looked down the hole in the wall and frowned. He’d sent the creature through two other rooms as well. “It bought some time.”

Screams rang out from below and all the lights went out.  Stiles looked down and saw other shadow creatures coming. Power was out all around with only a few emergency lights working.

“Stiles!” yelled Leighton as he and Danny ran into the room.

He pulled on a shirt and tied his shoes. “Get a hold of Cameron and Lydia. My ‘roommate’ is some kind of shadow creature. It was trying to devour me.” He grabbed his special backpack and started running for the stairs. “There are more down there and power is out across the quad. Be careful!”

At first glance there were six moving shadows and Stiles was alone. Backup was several minutes away and he had to make sure he survived until they arrived. Magic didn’t leap to his summons as it did closer to Beacon Hills. “Crazy roommates, power outages, explosions – yeah not exactly what I was looking for in college.”

Shrieks went up and Stiles was forced to cover his ears. Three of those shadows moved towards him and Stiles dropped his hands and raised one arm to extend his shields. He fired one energy lance and sent the closet creature across the grounds. He wheeled and used his shields to blunt the attack of another. More shrieks went up and Stiles fought to keep his concentration.

“Down!”

Stiles dropped and Cameron jumped right over him and flattened the other creature with a tackle. He rolled through the attack and came up crouched. “Never a dull moment!” He threw one of his knives and hit one of the charging shadows in the chest. It howled, but kept charging.

Two energy lances flew over them towards the other shadow group advancing on them. The lances bounced off them and gouged out portions of the dead sod.

“What’s the end game?” Lydia asked as she ran up. “Six on three sucks.” They ducked behind a hedge.

“Four more of them are coming from those dorms!” pointed Leighton as joined them. “Danny is helping those still upstairs.” With power out it was difficult to see anything.

They all shut up as a mostly dead tree went flying over their heads. The six original shadow creatures attacked first and the reinforcements were moving to flank. More rocks and material flew at them. Stiles’ shield deflected most of the energy.

Stiles fired a fireball that forced the lead formation to scatter. “Okay, I can’t keep this up and there are civilians all around.”

“We’re civilians,” muttered Leighton.

Lightning rained all around the quad, but the sky was clear. The shadows screamed in terror and tried to flee, but a wall of magic kept them trapped. Dr. McNamara walked up and fired two more energy bolts as a man flanked her and kept the lightning falling around to contain the threat.

“Why am I not surprised to see you lot in the middle of this?” McNamara asked. She walked over to one of the fallen shadows and turned away repulsed. “Amirani, what do you see?”

“Wraiths, but of an ancient type.” Luke Amirani stood up and looked at Lydia. “Something wanted one of you dead and will try again. Summoning these was no accident. This was an investment of time and power.”

Stiles looked around and the smoldering wreck of the quad was not the only issue. Dozens of students were looking around; very smart students. “What do we tell them?”

“Wait!” McNamara pushed one of the bodies with her foot. “Luke, that’s Geoffrey Price. What’s he doing here?”

“He was missing,” Lydia said as she shook her head. “What is going on?”

“Someone _really_ wants you dead.”


	6. The Promise of Shadows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Clan faces threats on several fronts and is in a race to know what they need to do in order to win.

Luke Amirani wiped his hands on his jeans after examining one of the formerly possessed corpses. “Definitely some foul magic used here.”

“You should be careful where you stick your nose. If memory serves, it’s what got you in trouble in the first place,” stated Erin McNamara as she looked over the scene in one of Stanford’s quads. The dried out ground was gouged and several plants uprooted and thrown about like children’s toys. “You’ve come dangerously close to breaking the rules by being here.”

“Rules were meant to be broken,” he retorted. He knelt near another corpse and frowned. “And the rules have already been broken or can you not see that for yourself? This type of action is forbidden. This level of power reeks of interference. Price was strong in his own right and for this to happen. But by all means, focus on me.”

She moved closer and dropped her voice. “You are a shadow of who you were. An outcast from a broken and imprisoned pantheon. How great a price do you want to pay for being here?”

“You are one to talk? You’re an exile who backed the wrong leader more than once or how else did you end up on this plane in that form?” he mocked back. “I’m no longer a blip on any radar.”

She rolled her eyes and frowned as she took in the Hale clan witnessing their little exchange. She raised her arms and waved her hands at the carnage. Bright green fire engulfed the corpses and turned them into ash. “Looks like we had a fluke tornado.”

“Are you kidding me,” Lydia said. “It didn’t rain and there were no clouds!”

“There was lots of lightning and wind,” countered Amirani. “How else would _you_ explain it?”

Leighton, Cameron, Lydia, and Stiles all grumbled but nodded.

“As for what you just heard,” McNamara said as she gathered her power and started towards the clan.

“Nuh uh, that would be a violation of your precious rules,” Amirani chided. “We had that conversation with full knowledge that they were around.”

She glared at the handsome man. “You planned that! On your head will be all the consequences!” She stormed off muttering the whole way.

“Off with you. I’ll make sure that Stiles gets out of this with minimal impact. I suggest he stay with you from now on Mr. Hale.” Amirani turned to Lydia. “Expand what you see; you need to grow and soon. This is a taste of the future.” He vanished before Lydia could say anything.

Stiles groaned. “Come on, let’s grab my stuff and get it to your place, Cam. So much for a good night’s sleep.”

* * *

 

Getting to Mazatlán wasn’t difficult, it was a long flight though. Now his rental car had to travel over an older road to the house that was actually just outside the coastal city. Michael Hale parked outside the walls of the compound. It looked old and rundown from the outside, but he’d been married to a witch for over half a dozen years and spent a lifetime dealing with the supernatural; he knew better. There were several illusions as well as spells to frighten off casual intrusion. They were far more complex than any he’d come in contact with before.

He pushed the gate open and the illusions dropped. The courtyard was clean, full of blooming flowers, and occupied. The scents weren’t human though and magic was all around the place.

“It has been a very long time since one of the family has set foot here,” said a woman of indeterminate age. She was short, but not exceedingly so. “You are an alpha which means we will serve you while you are here.”

Michael shifted and looked at her again. It was another glamour, she was a type of fae, but bound to the earth and this place; very much local. “How long have you served here?”

“My people met yours when you came here. Exchanges were made and bonds established. Since before the last great human war was one of you here. We’ve guarded and watched since.” She motioned and a handful of others came into the courtyard. They all looked like a mix of the locals; some looked native, others a Spanish mix, and others with German blood.

“I am waiting for some others to join me here so we can look around.”

The woman nodded. “We saw them deliver that container, but it will not hold what you are after. Far too small. You might want to look first, your friends will be delayed in the city.” She started to walk towards the door to the main building.

“Delayed? Why?” Michael demanded. He looked around, still impressed by the old hacienda style and the wonderful lush courtyard. Only necessity would have forced his family to abandon this place.

“There are factions everywhere and the one in the city doesn’t like it when people sneak in. They will await a payoff.” She shook her head. “Those that hunt our kind are on the lookout for you. They may have people in the city watching as well. You must stay here.”

That threw a major wrench into Michael’s plans. He followed the woman into the house, which was nicely decorated, to a door that led to a basement. She dialed a combination and the door slid open. “This way please.”

There was a curving set of stairs that led down at a steep angle. He followed and noted two more servants were right behind him. There was a large room at the base of the stairs that was well lit. It looked like it was mainly a storage area.

“Please, follow me.”

They continued down another hall and went down a few stairs and towards two large double doors. She pulled out a key and unlocked the doors. Slowly she pushed both doors aside. Michael winced as the hinged squeaked with lack of usage.

First thing he spotted was several chests stacked on each other. By several he counted over fifty at first glance.

“There are over one hundred of them, Master Hale. They will not all fit in that one shipping container.” She pointed to a few more rows. Stacks of the chest lined the walls and made the large room feel small.

Michael walked over and opened one lid and then slammed it back down. “That is not what I was looking for.” He opened it again, his heart hammered in his chest. “All of these are the same?”

“Yes, all these chests out here are the same. The room past here has everything else.”

He closed the lid and wondered what could possibly be in the other room. The front room was full of chests of gold. It was a true treasure. “Let’s wait to see if my uncle gets here. Do you have any food?”

She smiled brightly. “Oh good! We haven’t had to cook in so long. Come with us!”

Michael was yanked from the room and wondered what he had just gotten into.

* * *

 

Dusk fell across the city allowing Peter and Chris to leave the condo. The sleep had been welcome, but it wasn’t a peaceful sleep. Peter knew something was amiss, but nothing registered on his active senses.

“Come on, we’re due to meet the boys and then head out of town.” Chris pulled his backpack tight over his shoulder. He waited for Peter to close and lock the door before heading down the street. There was nothing in there that couldn’t be left behind. Mobility was the key to all of this.

It was a few blocks to the cantina where Peter could smell the boys were situated. While they had bathed he could tell that both had met with a female partner and had fun. He didn’t want to know the details.

“Been busy?” Chris asked as he sat down. He motioned for a beer and looked at the menu. “Best thing about this place, the fresh seafood.”

Peter came in and moved around so he had a view of the entrance and a clear path to the backdoor. “We were watched.”

“Yeah,” Aiden said as he finished his second beer. “The chick I met told me money was changing hands to keep an eye out for us. Our absence from California has been noted.”

Isaac finished chewing on a pickled carrot. “Whoever you messed with knew that there was a place down here. The girls don’t like gang running things here. They don’t run the cops though from what we heard.”

“Been busy I see,” Peter noted. He dropped two hundreds on the table and motioned for them to go out the back. “I think they sent some girls that would get you to drop your pants and listen to any story they gave you.”

Chris moved out the back first, pulling Isaac with him. Aiden went next. Peter apologized to the owner and moved through as well. “Chris, find your contact and get to the house.”

Peter shoved his backpack into Isaac’s hands. “Keep that with you as if your life depended on it.” He shifted his hands into claws and climbed up the side of the building. The narrow alley in the back was dark but Peter reached the top of the two story building and motioned towards the front.

“Come on,” Chris muttered. “He’ll deal with them. We have to get out of town.” He pulled his Glock out from the back of his jeans and attached a silencer. “Just in case.”

“You didn’t tell us we were going into a fire-fight!” Aiden hissed.

“Quiet,” Chris said. He moved down the alley quickly, stopping at junctures to check the surroundings and then moving on. There was a car waiting for them where he was told it would be. He raised his hand to stop the boys from going to it. He rolled through the wet alley and came up firing a single shot. It broke a window and a man came through it.

Two men came running up the street. Chris fired and took the first one out. Aiden ran up and cracked the second one in the head.

“Which car did he get out of?” Chris asked as he did a slow turn looking for more threats.

Isaac fished the keys out of the man’s pockets and pointed to a newer SUV. They climbed into car while Chris threw it into drive. “The car that was left for us is most likely rigged. Someone paid some serious money to track us.”

Before they could turn off the road and head out of the city proper, Peter landed in the street blocking their way. He climbed into the back seat and took his bag from Isaac. “Three followed. They won’t be moving very well for a long time.”

“Who were they?” Aiden asked as he kept looking around.

“Mercenaries. Seems the Calaveras have Mexico on lockdown and knew that we had a place here. Though how they are tracking our movements has me concerned.” Peter leaned back and told Chris where to go.

Isaac watched as the city blurred by. “You know, maybe there are spies watching us. We’ve had enemies from day one.” 

Peter nodded. “There are games within games. The Calaveras could be doing someone’s dirty work and not know it. Agendas are everywhere.”

* * *

 

The quad stilled showed signs of the battle. Camille noticed the other scorch marks and frowned. She didn’t say anything, but nodded in their direction and watched as Winchester picked up on them. There were lingering hints of magic all over the place, even after a couple of sunrises.

“This all started in Stiles’ dorm room,” Sam noted. “Get this, the roommate comes from a magical background as well.”

“The room has many traces of compulsion spells and dark magic,” Adams said as she wiped her hands. “The magic out here was very different. There was a cleansing element to it. The darkest magic was in that room.”

“The school is claiming that the kid was doing some science experiment that went wrong. And then there is the ‘tornado’ that is being described.” Sam shook his head. “I talked to McNamara and she isn’t saying much.”

Adams rolled her eyes and kept looking around. Most of the power had been out and there was little footage even from the students. The light had been too poor. There were a few images during the lightning storm, but even those weren’t clear.

“Too much degraded, but what I can get is very odd.” She looked back over her notes and frowned. “That clan is always in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“Or they are being targeted.” Sam looked around and noticed a few people had lingered, watching them. “We are getting some attention as well.”

She never looked up from her notes. “Yes, and they have been tracking us since we got on campus. Not sure what they are yet, but they aren’t human.”

“And so the mystery deepens.”

* * *

 

Michael watched as the SUV pulled into the courtyard and the gates closed behind it. The foursome all looked drained, sweaty, and a bit bloody. “Rough time?”

“They know we are here,” Peter said as he approached. “This place is in very good shape.”

Josephina, the woman in charge, looked them over and frowned. She grabbed Aiden by the elbow. “Sit and eat. There are rooms here for you to clean up and then you can look around.”

“Food!” yelled Isaac and Aiden at the same time. The two of them groaned when the picked up the wafting scents coming from the outdoor kitchen.

Michael ignored them. He pulled Peter’s tablet away from the older wolf and looked over his notes. “It would be easier to see how our movements were tracked back home than at Davis.” He slid it back over and frowned. “We’ll wait and see what else happens. For now we’ll go with hunters waiting for revenge.”

One of the servants cleared his throat. “My lord, we moved your vehicle inside as well. One of our friends has informed us that the bodies have been hidden, but the mercenaries know the trap failed.”

“Thank you. Peter, Chris, come with me.” Michael headed towards the main house and didn’t wait to be acknowledged. Once he got to the room with the chests lining the hall he stopped. “Peter, this is our first problem. Open one.”

Peter rolled his eyes and opened a chest. His eyes bugged out and then took in the whole hall. “All of them?” He pulled out his tablet, frowning. He closed it and sighed.

“Yes.”

He motioned for Chris to have a look. Peter rubbed his chin for a moment. “This could be an issue. The inventory said chests. But I thought maybe a dozen. This is…”

“Ten times that,” Michael answered.

“This is a logistical nightmare,” Chris muttered. “And the other stuff?”

Michael nodded and opened the other doors. “I haven’t been in here yet.”

The room was huge, full of crates, and plenty of statuary. Front and center were three eight foot tall stone monsters. There was a stone altar that looked well-worn and felt old. There were smaller chests that felt ancient as well. The whole thing was overwhelming.

“Those are golems,” muttered Peter. “Made of stone, how on earth?”

“They were created before the Reconquista. There is an entry in the family tome.” Michael moved further in and rubbed his head. “Peter, several of these crates are full of books. That crate is sealed with magic.” He looked around in awe. “It’s one thing to ‘know’ that the family collected, or horded, things over the centuries, but it is another to see what they’ve kept.”

Chris ran his fingers over that crate and cleaned off the inscription. He whistled low and long. “This is in Latin and tingles to the touch. We may want to wait until this stuff is moved to examine it. And by the looks of it, they kept everything.”  

Pulling open a large vertical chest, Peter let out an excited yelp. “Michael, this is werewolf battle armor! There were drawings in one the books I examined. I thought it was wishful thinking.” He looked over the neck-guard and the arm-guards. “Amazing.”

As they went through several crates and storage boxes. Paintings of some of the alphas of old were uncovered. There were ancient Roman busts, marble statues, paintings from various time periods, old weapons, and then there were the magical artifacts. Almost all of those were sealed, but the boxes radiated power.

“How are we going to get all of this out of here?” whined Isaac after he and Aiden joined them.

Josephina walked in and bowed to Michael. “We may have a solution for this puzzle, but there is a risk.”

“Always is,” muttered Chris.

* * *

 

It was broad daylight and that is what made Boyd and Allison go back to the tea shop. Except they parked near the shop and headed back to see if they could find that mural. They wanted to see if they could get better details in daylight. And avoid any unpleasant encounters too, if possible.

They took two wrong turns before they found the alley. Boyd had a real camera with him instead of a cell phone camera. He spotted and almost dropped it.

Allison’s mouth fell open. “It changed.”

Arafel was still prominent, but now there was an image of a dark figure with red eyes and below him were people in chains. Boyd snapped several pictures as quickly as he could.

“This place gives me the creeps.” Allison pulled out her knife and palmed it. “Boyd, across the street.”

He saw them. More of the same that gave them a chase the time before, but there weren’t many this time. There were maybe a half dozen at the most, but they didn’t want to get trapped. He took a few more of the wall, hoping they could find something when they downloaded the images.

“Imagine my surprise when I have a dream about this wall and you two are standing here,” yelled Dr. Amell. “Singh is missing and I have a dream about this place twice! Then I suddenly know some of you would be here.”

Allison walked over to her and they walked back down the alley. “What are you doing here?”

The French seer gave her a withering look. “Me? It isn’t safe here and I know you were warned. The people who run this place will most assuredly know we are here. Go!”

They ran out and towards their car, but something caught Boyd’s eye. He saw a bound journal looking very singed but intact. He grabbed it quickly. Boyd shook his head. “Is it me or do you hate seers?” he made sure that the professor didn’t see him grab the book.

“Boyd, we need to get those pictures to everyone. See what they can make of them. Cora and Jackson are going to be pissed that we went back.” She saw the journal and did a double take. “What do we do about that?”

“I’ll alert Lynn and Ms. Morrell that one of the professors here is missing. Considering the mess with Stiles…” He looked down at the book and shrugged. “This, no idea.”

Allison nodded as she drove back to campus. “We should be more careful.” She dropped her voice to a whisper, “Where do we hide it?”

“No idea.”

* * *

 

There were three cargo shipping containers in the courtyard. Josephina had them teleported in as her people were similar to Brownies.

“Some of this stuff weighs a ton,” complained Isaac for the umpteenth time. Even with the ‘servants’ help it was slow going. The sarcophagus was not expected when they moved a bunch of rugs. Some of the statues were wrapped in the rugs and carefully stored.

“The truck will be here tomorrow to pick up the one we originally hired,” Chris reminded everyone. “What are we going to put in that?”

All the servants laughed. Josephina opened its doors and showed that it was full of Mexican pottery. “Not even the good stuff, but cheaply made. It will certainly be followed.”   

All the gold was stored in the back of all three containers. Everything else was loaded in front to hide those chests. Books and artifacts came after the gold and then the heaviest of items. The golems were loaded last.

“We will place them back on the dock right before sunrise,” Josephina said. “When they arrive in Oakland, they will be moved to a different truck yard for final transport.”

And that was the central problem they faced. Peter left a message for Danny to help with the arrangements. He needed to hack into the shipping manifest and get those containers on the next vessel out. One was departing in twelve hours and Peter wanted everything on that ship.

“I’ll sneak aboard and get back into the States that way,” Chris said. “How are we getting you all out?”

One of the servants came forward. “The pact with your ancestors still holds true. We will not need as many here to guard.”

“Three of them want to go with you,” Josephina added, shushing her subordinate. “They will take you through the Ways. It will be safer than dealing with the hunters, but not without danger.”

Michael stepped forward and bowed to her. “All we ask is this place be kept welcome. There is nothing below left to guard.”

“Yes, but that is also why three want to go with you. They are young and eager to serve. Others, native to the North, may join them. We are sworn to your blood. Come, let us finish and get these out of here.”

Peter glanced at his watch. Sunrise was soon and they were almost done. The truck picking up the decoys was due in ten hours. There was a short window of exposure he wasn’t comfortable with. He wasn’t going to let anyone know what he calculated that gold alone to be worth.

“Yes, let’s hurry. I want to get some rest before we cross over into the Nevernever. That place isn’t easy at any time.”

* * *

 

It was early and Cameron would never have gone to Berkeley except Boyd called for some help. It was an hour drive from Palo Alto to Berkeley, but at least traffic was light. He didn’t mind paying a toll if he avoided going into San Francisco. He loved the city, but it added more time to his trip.

He knocked on the dorm room. It was easy to gain access to the building during the day. He smiled at Boyd when he opened the door. “You were more cryptic than normal when you asked me to come over.”

“Yeah,” he sighed as he closed the door. “Allison and I went to look at the alley near the tea shop…”

“You didn’t! Boyd, that was dangerous!”

The younger wolf nodded. “Well, we haven’t told anyone yet, but we took some pictures. But we also found this.” He pulled out the heavy locked journal. “Looks like they tried to force it open, but the enchantment was too strong. I have no idea what to do now.”

Gently, Cameron took the journal and ran his fingers over it. There was magic to it for sure, but there was something else. “Boyd, you said Laughlin and Price opened it before, but there was nothing but blank pages?”

“Yes, that’s what they said.” He sat back in his chair. “I know this is magic, but I’m trying to piece this together like an engineering problem.”

“What if the spell is a lock?” Cameron said.

Boyd nodded and looked off. “Okay, you need a spell to unlock it.”

“But this belonged to a mission,” Cameron added.

A light went off in Boyd’s head. “So the spell is also location based. You can only get so far with the key like a lock tumbler.”

“Exactly, Laughlin may have been part of the key or not, but they may not have been in the right location.” Cam looked around and smiled. “Any plans?”

“No,” Boyd replied slyly. “We going to that mission?”

“Yup.”

* * *

 

Getting there wasn’t an issue. Cameron was glad he packed his sword and a few other supplies. He’d learned to be prepared with this group. Strapping on his longsword and then his backpack, he made his way up to the mission.

“This place is just as creepy during the day as it is at night,” noted Boyd. He held the journal tight to his body.

The two of them looked around in silence. The air was heavy. They noted the recent visit of Derek and a hint of irritation in his scent. They traded a look and rolled their eyes. Some things never seemed to change.

Cameron paused, this was his first time here and he picked up on something. He looked around and noted the small room off to the side. It opened and was full of boxes and other supplies. It wasn’t large by any means, but he smiled when he saw the scrap marks on the floor. “Boyd, come here.”

He pointed down and smiled. “What’s that look like?”

“False front.” Boyd got down and moved some boxes and lifted the stone that was hiding a way down. “Looks like an undercroft.” He climbed down a wooden ladder.

They went down and Cameron pulled the stone to trying to hide where they went. He followed the light from Boyd’s flashlight. He saw some candles and using a wisp of power lit them all. “Sometimes magic can be very practical.”

The space was larger than they thought. Boyd spotted a stand and placed the journal there. It unlocked instantly and opened. At the same time there was a sudden breeze.

“Boyd,” muttered Cameron. He pointed to a wall that was no longer solid, but shimmered. “That looks like a portal to the Nevernever.”

More things clicked into place for them. “That could be how they monitored the northern edge of the valley,” Boyd noted. “Should we try it?”

“No, not unless we had backup.”

Cam made his way over to the journal and frowned at the blank pages. He ran a hand over them and watched as words appeared for brief moments. “Oh this could be tedious.” He showed Boyd and they looked at a few passages in Spanish. They closed the book and the wall became solid again.

“Well, you’re going to have to tell Derek what we know.”

Boyd rolled his eyes and sighed. “I think I’d rather go into that passage blind.”

* * *

 

‘ _May you live in interesting times’_ was a curse Derek was going to use on a few choice people if he ever got the chance. Talking to Braeden wasn’t how he ever wanted to spend his morning. He picked his phone back up and dialed.

“Rosa? This is Derek. Braeden relayed a message?” he pinched the bridge of his nose in the desperate hope it would stop a headache.

“Ah, Derek. We found a home for the boy you discovered in México. Now we had to use a bit of magic on the girl. She was with the hunters for almost three years, the boy was only there for a year. The girl remembers very little of her past. But we did discover something interesting.”

Derek hated mystics, they always wanted something to be a grand reveal. “What did you find out?” He really didn’t want to play along.

“She’s Peter Hale’s daughter.”

As surprises went that was a huge one. Derek sat down and could feel the headache forming. “How old is she?”

“Best guess is fifteen. I think it best if Braeden brought her to your home as soon as possible. Derek, many of us felt a shift in energy last week. She will be safest with you and Michael. Tell him I said hello. Oh, and tell Cora to come see me soon. She’s in the neighborhood. I might be able to help.”

The line went dead. Derek growled at his phone for a long moment. He texted Braden. ‘ **When are you coming up here?** ’

The response was swift. ‘ **Two days and have my money ready.** ’

Peter was out of the country and part of Derek wanted to really surprise him with this news. Caution won out though. Liz had room in the carriage house, but he didn’t want to do that to her with Michael also out of town. Money wasn’t the issue, but who he was paying certainly was. 

‘Laura’ appeared and laughed at Derek’s expression. “You already knew this was going to be an issue.”

“Yes, well, our cousin has been held by crazed hunters for years. Not exactly what I was hoping for. It will take time for her to adjust.”

Laura took on a solid form and gave Derek’s shoulder a squeeze. “And there will be plenty of support for her. This would have been far worse if it had happened even last year. Imagine all of the teens here overwhelming her. Even better, imagine Peter as a dad. Think of all the payback you can get on behalf of mom.”

Derek laughed and then looked down at his phone. “I’ll get Lynn and Marin to help her like they did with me.”

“Not sure bad painting is the right thing for her,” Laura jokingly mocked.

“You still think you’re funny and you’re not,” he teased back.

* * *

 

Chris was gone and it was time for them to leave as well. Michael pulled his backpack on and motioned for the rest to get up. He gave Josephina a hug. “Thank you for everything. Once everything is settled I have a feeling this will become a nice vacation destination.”

“The city is not far and the food is excellent. This has been your family’s home for over four hundred years, it is time it was used more. Lilian, Yolanda, and Javier will be of great assistance to your family. They are not combatants though, we serve and can defend ourselves, but not much use otherwise. Be mindful that they have some shape-shifting abilities. The journey will not be trying I hope.”

“There is a pack of wolves back home who will do any fighting and four of us on this trip. Ten hours? Let’s hope so.”

They left out a hidden door in the basement that dropped them in a close by ravine. Yolanda took point as she knew the Ways. Peter used to know some of the Ins and Outs of the Nevernever, but it had been a long time.

“Come, we have a long way to go to get to your home.” She walked up to a rock cliff and touched it. A portal opened and the seven of them walked right into a swamp.

“Are you kidding me?” Aiden groaned. The swamp had all kinds of flora and colors.

“We need to be quiet,” whispered Peter. “The fewer that know we are traversing the Nevernever the better.”

They walked for half an hour before another portal opened and they were suddenly in a cold barren landscape. Michael pulled out his phone and laughed. “Alaska? Really?”

“The Ways have all kinds of paths. To get where we want we must go where the doors are located.”

“This is the worst road trip ever,” lamented Isaac. “Next time Derek volunteers me for something I’m running for the hills.”

* * *

 

Stiles and Lydia turned their spare time into researching the mystery of Nicholas Hale; or trying to figure out who was after the three year old tyke. They had what was available on the Hale servers Danny created. They had the images Lynn and Bronson gleamed, but it was just a starting point.

“I _could_ be studying something that might help my degree,” Lydia said as she handed Stiles her tablet. “This will all help you in the future.”

He rolled his eyes and looked over her notes. “It’s disturbing that Nicky has sensed him for almost a year. There is so much information that it makes this harder.”

They both went back to their research. Several different areas called to them and were flagged. They received a message that a new file had been uploaded. Stiles flagged it for later reading. While his ADD had been tamed, to an extent, he could still get lost in tangents when researching.

“Stiles,” Lydia yelled. “Stiles! Pull up that message from Boyd.”

To say that Derek was pissed when he saw the photos of the mural would be an understatement. Boyd and Allison were in the doghouse, but that didn’t mean the pictures weren’t shared.

The mural was a bit out of focus in some places, but others. Stiles frowned when he got to the bottom. “Lydia, that face at the bottom looks like my roommate!”

She never met him, but it was the image above those chained people. The image holding the chains. “Look above that!”

It was the jackpot. It was a physical rendering of what they had images of in their heads.

“Damn!” Lydia muttered.

It took Stiles a moment to catch up. “Of course it is. Why wouldn’t we ever catch a break?” The image of the entity stalking Nicky Hale was one of Balor, the king of the Fomorians. “This is so much worse than I imagined.”

“But makes total sense. Now we need to figure out exactly what they want or he wants,” she said. “I hope we’ll find out something more when Peter gets back.”

* * *

 

Jackson twirled around in his chair. Boyd was busy typing away at some paper on some engineering subject. He leaned back and tried to get his mind to focus on something other than figures. He had a ‘light’ course load with Rhetoric, Statistics, Sociology, Economics, and Spanish were his courses currently.

“How’s that project Peter and Derek assigned you?” Boyd asked without looking up. He had his own issues to deal with from Derek. He never wanted his alpha that mad at him again. Even with the distance, Boyd felt the anger and disappointment from Derek through their bond. Yeah, he wasn’t going into danger like that again…at least not without more backup. Next time he’d make sure Cora and Jackson were with them again if necessary.

Groaning, Jackson shrugged. “I have all these spreadsheets to go over and figure out cash flows.” He dropped his voice to a whisper. “Did you know Peter had about a quarter billion dollars’ worth of assets in that house. Just sitting there for years!”

Boyd raised his head and stared for a second. “And what does he have you doing with it?”

“Nothing yet. This is an exercise it creating new cash flows and a new clan trust fund. They are serious about me learning how to manage the family assets.” Jackson dropped his head and sighed. “It’s so weird to be involved so deep and to know they will never get rid of me.”

“Dude, you’re part of their family. Derek told me once that if his mom had known about you, you would have been snatched from the Whittemores in a heartbeat.” Boyd moved closer and gave Jackson a shoulder hug. “Derek cares. Just last night I called him because I needed to talk about Erica.”

Jackson rolled his eyes and punched Boyd in the arm. “Talk to her, not Derek.”

“He’s giving me the money to get a ring.” Boyd ducked his head and blushed.

“Okay…That is awesome. Scary, but awesome.”

“Don’t say anything to Allison or Cora. They won’t be able to keep it a secret.” He went back to his books. “You should change your name legally. You’re a Hale by birth. Own it.”

Jackson looked at the spreadsheets and nodded. There was a picture of kid who would be his baby half-brother on the screen. He had ties. “I think I will.”

“And while you’re at it, factor in some awesome Christmas presents. I’m talking Spring Break in Aruba.”

* * *

 

Stiles groaned as Leighton beat him again. Danny was reading one of his text books while Leighton used him as a pillow. “I used to beat Scott and Jackson all the time!”

“You’re talking about Scott and Jackson, Stiles. Not exactly the best gamers around. Leighton has better reflexes than the wolves do.” Danny never looked up from his book.

That got Stiles to thinking. He put down his controller and looked at Leighton. Something was different since he’d spent the weekend with them in Beacon Hills.

“I’m bonding with your pack, or clan as it is,” the incubus said. “Grandpa is bound to my grandmother, a true sorceress and dad married a witch, from a long line of them.” The blond smiled at the future wizard. “That ceremony I can feel a bond forming with the totality of you not an individual. It makes me stronger and less…as you would put it, dangerous.”

“His abilities have changed some, Stiles.” Danny put his book down. He turned, but didn’t dislodge Leighton’s head. “Let’s say he’s not as needy as he used to be.”

Leighton groaned. “I used to have to get off several times a day, alone and with someone. It was part of my legacy. Now, I’m good jacking off twice a day and being with Danny at least once. Also…”

“He bottoms all the time which he never did before,” Danny added as he sat up. “But his latent magical abilities have come forward.”

“I talked to my grandmother and she laughed, she said it served me right for meeting a wolf pack and getting entangled in the supernatural bullshit she tried to keep us out of.” He sighed and leaned back again. “The amount of energy I’m around dictates my abilities. I’m not twenty-one yet and now I’m getting some ‘things’ I’m not used to having.”

Stiles was incredibly curious now. “Like what?”

“I can sort of tell when someone is using an illusion now. I’m sensitive to magic and now immune to some of those spells; I can see under glamours. Like Oliver, I know he’s a changeling now. His real face is hidden by magic and I think Dr. McNamara is the one who recharges the spell.” He took a deep breath. “Lydia, isn’t fully human. I think that guy we saw with Dr. McNamara might know what she can really do.”

“I need to find a portal to the Ways and I don’t want to owe McNamara a favor. Can you see the entrances?” Stiles rebooted the game again. He missed hanging out with them all the time. Cameron didn’t play much and Scott wasn’t online often.

Leighton shook his head. He smiled broadly though. “Oliver is a changeling and so is his friend Trish. They should be able to find them easily.”

* * *

 

Derek tried not to worry. Peter, Michael, and the others were en route, but the journey through the Nevernever wasn’t supposed to take this long. He looked over at his sleeping cousin, Malia, and sighed again. Braeden was still in town and Derek wasn’t happy about that by a longshot. Still his cousin relaxed immediately once she was here. Years of captivity left her social skills far behind where they should be, but Natalie and Brandon Keys were helping there as was Brett.

His mind wandered from the plans on the table near him. The Svartalve architect dropped off the designs for the new building. He didn’t love it, but at three million dollars it was a bargain for adding much needed living space. He could look into the past and see the visions of the villas the family owned for centuries on the Mediterranean. The manor seemed generic and stale compared to those structures. He laughed because his family had a nice typical large American house before the fire and now he was imagining their ancestral villas from Italy, Spain, or Tunisia. One thing those buildings had was an interior courtyard and walls surrounding it. There was nothing blocking someone from coming to the backdoor or cutting off the surface route between the carriage house and main house. He shook his head and moved the plans to the side.

He moved out of the Library and headed out to the patio. He knew Porter was out dealing with weeds while Karina was out in the garden. Nicky was with Emily in the carriage house. He rolled his eyes when he realized that Mia was online playing some game with her friends.

“You’re on edge,” Lynn said as she walked up behind him. “You haven’t been this nervous in weeks.” She offered him a cup of tea. She motioned to the couch opposite her in the Sun Room.

“Peter and Michael are late. I’m eager for Peter to meet his daughter. You know how I start to get when things are out of my control.” Derek sipped his tea and continued to listen.

“With most of clan away you have even less control.” She knew him well. “You have to let them grow and being away helps that. They are close, but far. As for Malia, she will recover. Between the twins and Jasmine, I think she’ll be able to socialize properly soon enough. Marin already has a plan in place…” She lifted her head and looked off in the distance.

Derek felt it, the portal in the meadow from the Nevernever opening. The pack bonds instantly told him that four of his wolves were back on Hale lands. Something in chest loosened immediately. “Finally,” he sighed.

“Indeed, perhaps you should meet Peter before he comes too close and picks up on her scent?” Lynn warned.

Quickly taking off, Derek ran for the glen. He came to a halt when he saw the seven of them. Three were unknown and the four looked like they’d been through mud pits and worse. The smell hit him and Derek had to fight his gag reflex. Before he even got a word out Aiden and Isaac ran past him.

“Use the outdoor showers!” he yelled because he really doesn’t want that stink in the house. He looked at his uncle and cousin and threw his hands up. “What happened?”

Michael started stripping and sighed. “It was the combination of the Swamp of Sadness and Bog of Eternal Stench. Horrible doesn’t begin to cover it.”

“We got waylaid by some Wild Fae,” Peter added as he stripped as well. “By the way, this is Lilian, Yolanda, and Javier. They wanted to come join us up here. But it looks like the Wild Fae were bribed to keep us busy.”

One of the companions nodded. “We were lucky we got near a Summer border patrol and they took none too kindly to a Hale group being harassed.” Peter shuddered. “They drove the wild ones off, but it delayed us by more than a day.”

“To what extent?” asked Derek as he looked around and frowned.

Michael started walking up the path. “Delays and diversions; it has all the signs of military tactics. Has Chris been in contact?”

“That ship is in Los Angeles and will arrive in Oakland in thirty hours.”

Derek paused for a second and then placed his hand on Peter’s chest, stopping him from going up the path. “Um, there is a surprise waiting for you in the house.”

“What?” Peter wanted a shower and clean clothes.

“Your fifteen year old daughter is here.”

* * *

 

This wasn’t something Cora wanted to do, but Derek insisted on it. She was actually glad Jackson was with her. “Thank you for coming with me.”

He shrugged and pointed at the building the seer they were supposed to meet had her office. “I think you would have caused me bodily harm if I hadn’t. Besides, I’m a Hale, I should meet her. Maybe my destiny isn’t to be the family financier.”

“Too late on that one,” she laughed. “No take backs, no one else wants it.”

They got quiet as they entered the farmer’s market and made their way to the back. People seemed to know what they were and gave them a wide birth and that was fine with Cora.

A voice called out as they approached the door. “Come in.”

The cousins looked at each other and rolled their eyes. Jackson opened the door and Cora stepped through. The woman they were supposed to meet was right in front of them.

“Hello, Cora. It has been many moons since I last saw you. And you must be one of the lost ones. Jackson, I see it is. Well come in.” She led them down the hall and into a nice sitting room. She touched Jackson’s hand and then laughed. “Oh dear me no. You are doing exactly what you should be doing. You are like Peter, you like power and influence, but should not be in command.”

She turned and looked at Cora. “I wanted to see you because there is a point soon when you will be needed in Davis. Time is breaking up and seeing the threads is harder and harder, but there is a fulcrum happening soon there.”

Rosalinda Flores got up and handed Cora a small stone. “Behind the Greek Theatre on your campus, heading to the national laboratory, is an entrance to the Ways. It is a quick short cut to Davis. It will place you on the campus there. That stone will open the door. Your mages can keep it charged.”

She dropped her voice and looked around. “The Ways to your home are being closed. Incursion and disruptions have closed all but one path to that door. To what end I don’t know nor do any of my friends. Something is brewing and it is dangerous. Be prepared for when you are called.”

“You have no idea?” Jackson asked.

“Many of the gifted in the area have been targeted already. I am the only seer left in the East Bay except for the French professor and she has gone into hiding. And tell your compatriots not to be so stupid.”

Cora laughed. “Derek already ripped them a new one over that. Any idea how bad it could be?”

Rosa shook her head. “My dear, when Time runs into a wall we can’t see past; it is very bad.”

* * *

 

It wasn’t much of a reunion since they’d never met. But Peter was gracious and Malia tentative. They talked and Peter listened as Malia pulled words together. They spent an hour together with Lynn and Marin. Now they were trying to build…something.

John patted Michael on the back. “What happened that took so long? Derek was almost frantic according to Lynn.”

Michael paused for a moment and took in Malia and Peter chatting. Chris was in Oakland now and the next priority was getting those cargo containers to the Preserve. “The Ways are being disturbed. It happened during the White Council –Red Court War. But they seem to be limited in scope and duration. But the result is long delays while both the Summer and Winter Courts deal with the issue. We had to double back more than once. And that also forced us to take more dangerous paths.”

The two of them looked at the plans from the architect. Michael sighed. “You should see the house in Mexico. It was beautiful, the courtyard was lush and enclosed. These plans seem so lack luster compared to that.”

“Sounds like a nice place to visit.” John cleared his throat. “Any idea how well Peter is going to raise his daughter?”

“With a great deal of help from all of us. Neela Keys has already gone with Malia and Marin for clothes shopping. She helps Natalie do all hers and they are about the same size.” Michael smiled broadly. “It’s nice to have a growing family.”

“It is,” added Derek as he walked up. “Also nice not to have two complaining betas underfoot anymore.”

“That was perfect.” John knew Derek was pissed when he found Aiden and Isaac had been skipping class. “A little hard work went a long way to teaching them a lesson. They were eager to return.”

The sky was dark, but rain had been hard to come by for months. The distant rumble meant nothing. The three men looked up. Derek and Michael shifted as three ravens headed their way.

‘ _They are at the lake. They have found the entrance! They cannot enter!_ ’

“How long before we can get those containers here?” Michael asked.

“The soonest is tomorrow morning and that is with a relay of Brownies. Most likely tomorrow afternoon,” John answered. “Peter did everything he could. And they aren’t safe yet.”

“It’s a race,” Derek said as he moved over to the ravens. “Watch and see how long before they can enter.” The ravens flew off. “We are behind and don’t even know what we are up against.”

* * *

 

It was early afternoon as Scott made his way home from his Biology class. The midterm was in three weeks and he was already feeling behind. None of his house mates were carrying the same class load and Kira wasn’t either. It made prioritizing fun time hard because he could hear them having fun when he was reading. And libraries weren’t the same without Stiles around to keep him on track.

He came out of his thoughts when he noticed three strange werewolves near him. They were close, but he couldn’t see them. Dropping his hands from his backpack straps, Scott flexed his hands and kept moving, but was ready for anything now.

There was a hint of magic in the air, but that had been in the background for days. He focused his hearing and picked up the three heartbeats and two feint ones not that far away. Scott picked up his pace a bit, wanting to get clear and back home. Something wasn’t right.

There was a flash of light and Scott blinked to clear his eyes. He could hear approaching footsteps and the smell of foreign wolves filled his nostrils. Before his eyes could clear he felt both arms grabbed. A sting in his arm and the sound of a depressor being plunged let him know he was being injected with something.

The world went dark. 

* * *

 

The house was relatively quiet as Derek read through some of the old journals. What was on its way to the manor was still unknown and Michael told him they really didn’t explore any of the crates. The gold was a whole different issue that Derek didn’t want to think about.

Panic roared down the pack link. Derek was out of his chair in a second. “Scott!” Then he heard Michael’s phone ring. The voice had an edge that Derek never heard before. Liz and Marin both felt nasty magical disturbances around the school.

John got out of his chair with Derek’s reaction. “What?”

“Something is wrong with Scott and something is going on at the high school.” Derek listened more, but that was all he got.

“So much for a day off. Michael! Ride with me to the school. You stay here,” John ordered.

Derek felt the disturbance at the school as soon as he concentrated. Then he felt the same thing near Jasmine’s school. He dialed Patrick instantly. “Go get Jasmine, the high school is on lock down, but something is near there.” He wanted to head out as well, but then it hit him. The house was almost empty. “Hurry!”

He motioned to Lilian and Javier. “Get Emily and Nicky and bring them through the downstairs Den. Lock up the carriage house. Start locking up the main house.” Using his alpha abilities he located Porter, Mia, and Karina, the only wolves still on the property and summoned them.

The three came swiftly and instantly went on guard. “Porter, go downstairs and take Nicky and Emily into the emergency shelter. Mia, Karina, stay here. Something is up.”

They all looked up as the wind started to ship around and the sky darkened. Derek pushed Porter. “Go!”

* * *

 

Patrick had Jordan in the patrol car with him. They were less than a mile from the school when he got the call. When they pulled up Jordan pointed to three very large ‘creatures’ moving towards the building.

“Jordan, call in backup,” Patrick yelled as he moved to get ahead of them. He got a good look at them and cringed. “What the hell are you?” The bone skull mask and the rib armor gave off a hideous smell. He pulled his gun. “Do not approach the school any further.”

The three roared and continued forward. Jordan jumped over a hedge and slid next to Patrick. “Help is coming, but something is also going to the high school. John said they spotted five of these freaks heading towards the school.”

It took Patrick only a moment to make a decision. “Go inside and lock everything down. Do not let anyone out at all.” He was glad he grabbed his shotgun because this was going to be a hell of a fight. “You aren’t getting that kid on my watch!”

“Nor mine!” Lynn said as she ran up. “Pack bonds work in mysterious ways. They can’t get Jasmine, Patrick.”

“Not on my watch!”

* * *

 

Stiles headed to the apartment he shared with Cameron when he was almost bowled over by said wolf. “Dude, you’re supposed to be graceful!”

“The entire clan is under attack back in Beacon Hills! But, we need to head to Davis!”

The mage was confused. “Home is in trouble, but we’re going to Davis?”

“Scott was attacked. I felt it through the link right before the trouble went down back home. Cora is gathering her group to head there now and I think we need to go too. This could be what Rosa was talking about,” Cameron got all that out in a single breath.

“I need things back at the apartment first.” He pulled out his phone and texted Lydia. They needed Oliver and Trish right now. “Man, I am starting to hate seers.”

Stiles started heading back to meet up with Danny and Leighton. Cam went to get what Stiles needed since he was far faster. He spotted Lydia waiting with the two changelings. “Any news?”

“The Ways are under attack as well. We could not get home that way even if we tried.” Lydia shook her head. “Cora and her group just left. Erica is organizing a search party already. Danny has nothing new from home.”

Cameron came running up the path. “Where do we need to go?”

Trish pointed. “It’s near the hospital. There is a quick path to that school. We’ll show you.”

* * *

 

John and Michael ran up the steps of the school. Sirens were off in the distance. John turned and fired on one of the creatures. The special shells Lydia left behind worked wonders. Michael moved like an apex predator. He jumped towards the wall, used a foot to redirect his momentum, and swung up and grabbed the nearest attacker by the neck. With a sickening twist he ripped its head off.

Marin came up the hall with her hands out. “Two more came up and are near the gym!” She raised her hands and with impressive speed built a wall of energy. “They won’t be able to come this way.”

“Go, I got these two,” John yelled at Michael. He cocked his shotgun and fired at one of the charging monsters. It went down and started to melt. “Why do they always have to stink?”

The third one ran the other way. John sighed. “It was supposed to be my day off.”

Michael barreled down the hallway knowing where to go from memory. A roar instantly clued him in on the location. He watched as a kid was thrown through the door. Another kid came running after him. Michael smelled blood, but he had to take care of the monsters before he did anything else.

Reaching back, Michael pulled out his knife. He could not shift with actual witnesses around so he did what he could. It was two on one and he was the one who was going to win. Michael couldn’t shift, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t channel his power. Eyes glowing red and silver, he moved in a blur. Spinning left while bringing his right hand up, he caught one of the monsters in the neck. He leveled the other with a kick to the chest.

**_Thump…thump…thump_ **

Buying a moment and some space. He pulled his knife out and decapitated the first one. “Better odds now.” His ears picked up on a fading heartbeat. He moved swiftly. He threw his knife and embedded it in the monster’s chest. He ran up and ripped his head off.

**_Thump…---…thump_ **

He moved to the injured kid. “Stay with me.” He looked at his friend. “What’s his name?”

“He’s Liam. I’m Mason.”

**_…thump…_ **

Michael placed his hand on Liam and felt. “Fuck,” he muttered. The kid was dying. Without a moment’s hesitation he let his fangs drop and bit the kid’s arm. He heard the protest from Mason, but it was life or death right now.

“I will explain everything in a moment.” He heard John running down the hall. He looked up when the Sheriff ran into the room. “He needs to get to Keys now!”

Without pausing John pulled out his phone. “We have an injured boy in the back. Have Dr. Keys on standby in the ER.”

In no time the paramedics came running up. One of them was a friend of Derek’s. “Michael, what do we have?”

“He’s stable, but he’s lost blood, fractured sternum, broken leg, punctured lung and that’s for starters.” Michael looked at the bite and it wasn’t healing fast. “He needs Dr. Keys and soon!”

* * *

 

Patrick groaned as he was thrown through the doors to the school. Things hurt in places he’d never had an ache before. He knew he wounded one and Lynn was containing it, but the other was advancing on him.

Shots rang out, one, two, three. “Oh come on, go down,” mumbled Jordan. He pulled out his baton as the monster was on top of him and hit it in the face. Searing pain ripped through his body as he looked down and saw one of the monster’s hands practically inside his abdomen.

Blood and pain filled the air as Patrick recovered. He took out his knife and cut off the hand that held Jordan’s intestines. “Oh fuck!” He pivoted and stabbed the monster in the head with his knife. “Lynn!”

She came running in and stopped. “They were berserkers. Hired help of the nastiest kind.” She dropped down next to the deputy. She applied pressure and watched as the sinew, muscle, and tissues began to knit back together. Glancing up she caught a bright green light coming from the deputy’s eyes. Her eyes narrowed as she touched his head. She knew that he was more than he seemed at first glance.

“He’s down but we need to take him to the manor….” She turned her mind back there. “Get Jasmine. The manor is under attack.”

* * *

 

Derek felt all the wards come to life. He pulled on the strength of his guardian mantle and reached. He pulled power and fed the wards. He couldn’t do much more than that. One of the garage bay doors opened and had him panicked for a moment, but that was not a threat. Whatever wanted them wasn’t on that level.

The winds picked up and Derek sensed something malicious near the manor. He was mildly surprised when he sensed Peter taking Malia to be with Nicky. The house shuddered at the first assault. Shrieks filled the air, but he ignored them. Several creatures were coming as well. He knew what they were, berserkers, and he knew how to deal with them.

His mind reached out and touched the Drys out in the forest. ‘ _Evil comes for the boy, milady. Can you help?’_ He projected what was happening at the manor.

Anger flooded back to him. The local minor deity screamed in defiance. The forest itself filled with deadly anger. The dryads would deal with the foul abominations. But that which was attacking the house proper, he didn’t know what it was.

“It’s a revenant,” said Peter in a low voice. “Nasty magic to send something like that here. How are the wards?”

“Holding.” Derek kept his mind focused on the attacks. Power went out and the winds grew stronger. “The forest is dealing with several berserkers approaching us.”

“Berserkers? Here?” Peter started putting it all together. “I’ll be with Nicky as well.”

The attacks on the wards grew stronger and more frequent. Derek kept his attention on the wards, there was panic all around from the pack bonds. The revenant was fierce in its magical ability. Sweat gathered on Derek’s brow as he channeled more energy to the wards. He was no mage, but the conduit, and he would do everything to keep the wards up.

Several lances of energy drove off the revenant at once. He recognized the ‘flavor’ of the magic. Lynn and Liz were back. He picked up on blood and pain. “What’s going on?”

“Jordan was injured and Michael is at the hospital with a boy who was hurt by the berserkers,” Lynn said. “This one isn’t human, but he’s also not functional yet.”

Peter charged up the stairs. “What is going on in Davis?”

“Scott was attacked, but we can’t get there. The Ways are under attack too.” Derek moved to a chair and collapsed. “Cora and her group are there already. Stiles and his are on the way.”

Peter narrowed his eyes at Derek. “How do you know this?”

“Pulling on the guardian mantle for that long, you tend to learn a few things.” With that Derek passed out.

* * *

 

Stiles barreled through the portal and shuddered once he hit the warm air. “The Fomor are out for blood!” Their quick way also had them running into a Fomor scout group. Luckily a Sidhe was there to deal with them.

Boyd nodded as he moved from supporting the wall. “We got through okay, but you had further to go. Mrs. Yukimura told us that more than one alert has gone out to avoid the Ways right now. Fomor and their allies have two major incursions going on. No one knows what prompted this.”

They had more pressing business than figuring what the Fomorians were doing, Scott was missing. Stiles walked out and looked around. “Did Erica find anything?”

“No and neither did Kira.” Boyd moved closer. “We all feel off, man. All the wolves feel like something is wrong.” There was a lack of vibrancy that Stiles detected; a dip in energy.

Lydia came up and pointed to her phone. “Danny has the last coordinates of his phone and that was a dead end. Garbage bin on campus.”

“Where on campus?” Cameron asked. “Stiles, you know Scott better than anyone. Do a tracking spell based on the pack bond.”

Stiles nodded and walked over to a secluded corner. He would need some quiet and a moment to gather his will. Leighton and Danny played lookout while he drew a circle and gathered his silver bowl and the bottle of water he kept in his pack.

Focusing down and out he pulled on his bonds and peered into the water. Magic was all over the place, but he _knew_ Scott, knew his signature like he knew his own face. He was close and then pain raced through his head, but he fought the wave of dizziness. Before he knew it he was being picked up by Leighton and Danny was pressing something against his nose.

“You pressed when you knew better, Stiles.” Danny admonished him but kept treating him. “Do you have a lead?”

“Around that old mission. I think he’s there.”

* * *

 

Scott groaned and tried to move. He felt something in his mouth. He was face down on something cold…and he was naked. He tried to move again and found his arms and legs tied down. It had been years since he felt this weak…since before he was turned.

Slowly he took inventory like Chris and Michael taught them. Taking a deep calming breath; he focused. He was bound and naked. He was gagged as well. Looking inward he felt his wolf far away. He tried to reach his power, but it was almost all missing. His skin itched and he was damp in places. Then he realized his junk was pulled tight between his legs. Scott tried to pull on his bounds but couldn’t.

“The puppy is waking up.” Hammond Byers entered his field of vision. His eyes were black and no longer human. The short human mage squeezed Scott’s face. “All of the symbols are almost done. Your sacrifice will begin a great journey.”

Hammond pulled a small jar over and showed Scott. “This was made with a little of your blood, all of your hair, except your eyebrows, wolvesbane, and a few other ingredients. You didn’t put up much resistance when we drew all the symbols on you.”

Scott struggled again, but could not move at all.

“Oh, you have no strength. All your alpha power has been gathered at your root chakra, well actually in your testicles. Once all of it is gathered and the symbols empowered…well, you’ll be a fixed wolf. Alive, but no more mating for you or shifting. Not much will be supernatural about you anymore.” He chuckled and then looked the boy in the eyes. “With that power ruined and transmuted your pack will be weakened and it will be used against them. All your defenses will crumble.”

Panic flooded Scott. He wouldn’t be used as a weapon against the people he loved.

Howls went up and Byers cursed. He had three wolves to protect him. “Go and keep them occupied. I need fifteen more minutes!”

Cora’s group came to the front. She had Jackson and Boyd howl to force movement. They had limited information, but Kira was certain Byers only had three omegas helping him. She smiled when the three came out. She howled signaling the group in the back to advance. Divide and conquer was always a thing.

Byers heard the second call and frowned. The back door flung open and he laughed as he flicked his wrist and the shield spell went up keeping the invaders at bay. The wolves couldn’t cross that.

“Are you kidding?” Lydia nodded at Cameron. She raised her hands and started chanting. The spell wobbled a bit and then she watched as Cameron thrust his sword right through the spell wall and it collapsed in a shower of sparks.

Kira ran through the opening and hit Byers square in the face.

“Don’t kill him!” yelled Stiles as he limped into the room. “This is still sanctified ground and it needs to stay that way.” He moved quickly to see about Scott.

“Help!!!” came the cry from the front. Cameron took off with Isaac. Two of the omega wolves transformed into Fomorian Servitors.

The third wolf screamed and moved back towards the mission. “What are those?”

A deep voice replaced Byers’ normal one. “Foolish children, too many times have you stood in the way. Victory is at hand.”

While ‘Byers’ was getting up. Stiles poured holy water on Scott, quickly breaking the spell symbols. He then cut the ropes and finally freed Scott’s nuts from their prison. Leaning down, he whispered, “Roll off and crawl towards the back. Your clothes were there.”

“Stop!” Byers moved to get Scott, but Leighton intercepted him and kicked him in the face. Aiden grabbed him and threw him out front where the Fomorians were attacking.

Stiles smiled as he walked out flanked by Lydia and Cameron. His eyes blazed with fury and his hands gathered power the likes he’d never pulled. Stiles was furious and surrounded by his family. Their rage fueled his. “Oh buddy, you have pissed off the wrong people!” He threw his left hand out and while lightning came down from the sky on his right. He channeled that directly at the Fomorian formation. “ _Infernae mitto vos!”_

“Fools!” screamed Byers. He shrugged off the attack and snarled. “This is not over!” and in a flash he and the two servitors were gone.

* * *

 

Boyd slipped down the hidden stairs and brought the journal out from his backpack while the rest looked around for the Fomorians. He placed the journal on the holder. He knew Allison was right behind him.

“What are you doing?”

“We need to know why they have attacked everywhere at once.” Boyd waited for Cameron to come down and rolled his eyes when he saw Lydia.

“As if Cameron would not share this with me.” She walked over and flipped through some pages and stopped when she came to a drawing. She frowned as she slowed down and flipped back and forth around that image.

Cameron and Stiles came down shortly after. “Everyone is gathered above, what’s the delay?” They both noted Lydia was vibrating with anxiety.

Closing the journal, Lydia tried to regain her composure. “Stiles, we have an issue. A watch has been set on the prison for millennia. Old shamen waited for the Spanish to come and told them what was up there. Two Spanish priests investigated and confirmed it. They built a gate in case the spells holding it failed.

“There are Enochian rune stones up there that keep the prisoner in and everyone else out.  They then had a lake made to cover the entrance when their Order was dying. But they need to be recharged and the spells are fading.”

None of them had ever seen Lydia rattled. “What’s there?”

She swallowed. “An angel is imprisoned there. Not a Fallen, but an Exile who broke the Word and shared sacred knowledge with humanity against orders. Stiles, this says the angel carries a mantle of knowledge. The Fomorians want it for all the secrets to the universe it might hold.”


	7. The Revolution

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Confrontations and Changes.

The scene was akin to a tornado’s destruction, but Camille Adams knew that the cause was magic. Several rows of cargo shipping containers were overturned. The clean rows and towers were tossed about like Legos in a child’s room. The shipping yard was in chaos with several cargo containers shredded as if hit by a bomb. Forensics was on site, but she knew they would find no explosives.

“This is the third one, including the one in LA,” Sam noted as he looked around. “Add in the two drivers that were hit and there is a pattern.”

Adams knew of one other hit, in the Sonora Desert heading out of México. The truck driver survived, but the authorities thought he was crazy raving about giants who attacked him. The cameras for all the yards showed nothing, going dark as soon as the attacks started.

“The White Council needs to be informed,” Sam said as he finished taking pictures.

“They know.” Adams looked out towards San Francisco Bay. The sun was setting turning everything beautiful in ways she knew they weren’t. “There were a number of incursions into the Nevernever over the last two days. Many of the Ways were blocked or disrupted.”

“What do you know?” Sam knew his partner well enough that she either knew or suspected something.

“The ways to Northern California were cutoff. There are reports of attacks in Beacon Hills, again. But there are reports of magic being used in Davis.” She let that hang in the air. “There are few gifted in the Bay Area not camped out in San Francisco proper. The old defenses there are still holding.”

That was part of the issue they faced. The Gifted were being hunted, but they had no idea where they all were. There was so much mistrust that even the Paranet only knew about some of the Gifted. Marin County had one enclave, but that was it outside of the City itself.

“So what’s your theory?” he hated when he had to prod for information.

“As much as I hate it, we need to take a trip up north. I have a feeling your ex knows something and its vital.” She looked around and frowned. “Something is going down. The tagging is worse and the missing are increasing. And now this!” She pointed to all the damage. “We’ll head up tomorrow morning.”

* * *

 

Machines buzzed as Michael sat outside the kid’s, Liam’s, room. He spotted Melissa McCall and nodded. “Any word?” His cellphone took a hit from one of the berserkers and wasn’t working well.

“Scott is recovering as is Jordan Parrish.” She sat down next to Michael and patted his hand. “No one is dead and Bronson thinks Liam will fully recover as well.”

Biting a kid on the verge of death wasn’t a choice Michael ever wanted to face again. It was his first time using the bite and now the kid was lingering. He wasn’t in a coma and he was healing, but the bite was slow to take.

“His mother wasn’t surprised he was injured. She acted as though he was the cause.” Michael knew she was inside with her son, but the dad wasn’t around. “His friend?”

“Marin took care of him. Liz is back at the manor with your kids. Whatever attacked was handled.” Melissa got up and looked around. “Should we inform Carlos?”

“Any word from Chris?” He ignored her question in favor of asking his own. Her answer would inform his response.

“He’ll be back tonight.” She eyed him closely. “Why?”

“Summoning the Council may invite more issues than it solves. I would like everyone to have a say before Derek choses our course of action.”

They stopped talking as Bronson Keys approached. He nodded and walked into the room. Melissa smiled at the alpha and walked away. Michael sat there and stood up when Keys came out.

“He’s converted, you should feel the pack bond soon enough.” The shaman looked around and whispered. “He has rage in him, Michael. He will be strong and yet difficult to control. I know the circumstances are less than ideal, but he is not one I would have chosen. However, that being said, he survived. His friend has the beginnings of wisdom marked on him. I told Marin as much.”

Michael nodded and walked away from the room with Keys. “Don’t release him until the morning. I need to figure out how to train him.”

“That’s easy,” Keys laughed. “The school has a mentorship program and I’ve seen his profile, Marin sent me a copy. The boy needs guidance and between Marin and me, you would be the ideal mentor.”

“And the friend?” Michael was concerned about what the other boy, Mason, witnessed. Even if Marin said she would take care of it, Liam had to have a support system of his own. “Could Brandon and Natalie help?”

Thinking about it, Keys rubbed his chin. “My kids already are working with Malia, but I think they could be asked to befriend both boys. Mason seems to have a…he looks at what he saw not in fear, but wonder. He’s human and if he is to stay around will need to learn from Chris.” He paused for a moment, “The boy needs to know what he’s in for.”

“Stiles would be the best choice, for all that he’s a wizard he’s also the most human.” Michael heard coughing. “I’ll head home and be back in the morning. Don’t let Liam leave.”

* * *

 

Derek finished his run around the property. The sun was setting and he wanted to see if there was any damage from the attack. October was already a bear of a month and it was only a few days old. The clearing was ahead and he rushed when he sensed a presence.

“Hail, Lord Hale,” called out the centaur Reynard.

Taking in the centaur’s scent and then appearance, Derek rushed to his side. The centaur was in full armor and had a gash on one flank and blood dripping from a wound on his arm. “Reynard, you need a healer!”

“I’ve survived worse, my lord. The eldest Gruff has greater concerns than my health right now.” The centaur moved closer and looked at Derek. “We were caught off guard by the incursions. They will not catch us so again.” He frowned as he looked around. “Whatever they want it is of great power, Lord Hale and…” he stopped for a moment. “Under no circumstance can they be allowed to have it. It is not overstating it to say that if they gain what they seek it will have catastrophic consequences.

“Derek,” Reynard started slowly, “the power they seek, if the rumors are true, would allow the Fomorian King to have greater strength than Queens Titania and Mab. The Sidhe would be swept from the Nevernever. The Outer Walls…”

The centaur shook his head. “I traveled these woods for years. I remember you when you were a child. I remember hearing the laughter of your family.” He looked directly at the werewolf. “The news of your family’s loss hit many of us. We knew them and you. The woods felt hollow in the aftermath. We’ve asked much of you so far, it isn’t fair, but I must ask it again if it comes down to it. The Fomor cannot win.”

The spear Reynard carried was covered in gore. He was injured and bleeding still. Derek knew what they were asking and the stakes never seemed to get smaller. “We will do what is necessary.” It struck him that the fae didn’t know what was in the lake. He still didn’t believe it, but it was a secret and allies or no, he wasn’t sharing that information. It was too dangerous to tell.

“I will pass that word on.” He reached out and gripped Derek’s shoulder. “A word of caution; remember the good and bad of your family. Remember the pain of your torture; hold on to those things. You’ve been touched by immense power and hold a mantle; they have a tendency to reshape their bearers. Above all you are mortal, remember that.” He paused as he turned back towards the Summer gate. “The fairy ring, do not let anyone know about it!”

That caught Derek’s attention. “I have it concealed.”

“Yes, and keep it that way. It has been over a millennia in mortal time that they formed on Earth. We know the White Council is aware of them and are sending mages around to guard them. For what reason we do not know. It has been so long even the fae aren’t sure what to expect from the circles. The humans may have notes in their books, but no experience with them.

“One note that could help on both fronts though, All Hallow’s Eve is the time when all the Fomorians’ plans must be completed. It is the night of great human magic and weakness in us. It is the annual night of change when all boundaries are weakest. By legend, it is the night that the true magic of the rings will work.” With that Reynard left.

Derek looked at the ring and saw it was complete; glowing with magic to plain sight. “I’m an idiot.” It hit him that the reason magic had increased around the manor was right in front of him. “What are we going to do?”

* * *

 

Chris glared at his phone as he pulled up to the manor. The charge in the air was palpable as he got closer to home. All the texts and information he’d seen was a maddening picture of possibilities. The manor was illuminated and Chris could not remember the last time so many lights were on. 

Every part of his body ached, but he was now home. Part of him felt bad about using the decoys, but it proved to be necessary. Three of his associates were placed in regional agencies to keep track of potential issues. The decoys were all attacked and several container yards pillaged. Whatever they recovered from Mazatlán must be of major importance.

He wasn’t a hunter anymore, but he was part of a clan that was dedicated to keeping the peace. However, he still had plenty of contacts through Argent Firearms and friends as well. He knew plenty of the big picture to be worried. The nature of the attacks made Chris think that peace was the furthest thing from the Fomorians minds.

Walking into the basement den was a sight. All those in residence were huddled down here. “Is something else going on?”

Before Chris knew it he had his arms full of Peter. “Nice to see you too!”

“It’s been a trying day,” Peter said as he moved away. “Our guest is still sleeping in the infirmary and Michael has added another teenager to our group.”

Everything began to fall into place including the nature of what was in the lake. Chris sat back and took a long pull on his beer. “Tomorrow is Friday, why don’t we find out what’s at the lake on Saturday?”

“The containers?” Lynn chimed in. “When will they arrive?”

“Tonight and we’ll need to get them situated quickly,” Peter answered.

Derek cleared his throat. “I have every reason to believe the White Council will be sending someone to look into all of this. Whether it is someone we know or not isn’t the point either, we must not let anyone know exactly what’s in the lake or what has arrived from Mazatlán.”

“Paranoid much?” chimed in Porter.

“We might not be paranoid enough,” Michael replied. “The risks taken this evening should tell us exactly what we are up against. Chris is right, we need to find out what’s in the lake for sure and we need to get the cargo hidden. The Ways are open again?”

Derek nodded. He and Michael discussed the message from the Summer Court. “As much as I hate to do it, we need to have some of the pack back this weekend.”

“Boyd and Cameron should handle the Mission since they discovered it,” Lynn added. “I would like Bronson to examine Scott. Someone will need to be in Davis to handle the portal.”

“Why don’t we see what we get tonight and then think about splitting people up? Examining the lake doesn’t mean we need an expedition to Shasta. The last thing we need is to draw more attention to what we are doing,” added John. He paused for a moment. “Any news on my deputy?”

Lynn and Marin traded looks before the senior emissary replied, “No. His body has healed, but he’s not yet awake. I’m not sure what he is yet.”

“But we’re clear he knows what Patrick is?” Derek asked. Even Patrick wasn’t sure what Jordan saw. “We have a kid who saw Michael and maybe a deputy who saw Patrick. And the deputy isn’t human either.”

“Called it,” Liz threw in there.  

“Yes, you were and now what do we do with it?” Michael asked.

* * *

 

Cameron and his group stumbled out of the Ways as they were back in Stanford. It was late and they were tired. Stiles was dragging after using so much magic. They suddenly stopped as Cameron growled.

“Peace, wolf, I mean no harm.”

Lydia marched to the front and frowned. “What are you doing here?”

Rolling his eyes, Luke Amirani stepped fully into the light. “The Fomor risk all-out war with the Sidhe and closed the Ways. They attacked multiple positions across the Bay Area and Northern California.” He moved closer to Lydia. “What did you confront?”

Leighton’s hand shot out and grabbed the older man’s arm. “Hey, back off. It’s been a long night and we need rest. We’ll see you tomorrow.”

Stiles watched as Danny and Leighton walked Lydia back to her dorm room. He stayed with Cameron before they turned to head down a different path.

“Mr. Stilinski, a word of warning. Something triggered this response and unless the Fomor got what they wanted then they will try again. Keep that in mind.” Amirani vanished in a flash.

Both men walked slowly to their apartment. They said nothing since they were so tired. The fight to get to Davis was a draining as the fight at Davis. Now they had other things to think about. Cameron got the door open and Stiles walked in collapsing on the floor.

“Part of me wants to leave you there and another part of me know who much you will complain tomorrow about how sore you are from sleeping on the floor. Get up!

Stiles whined some more, but got back on his feet. “Cam…who is that guy?”

“I don’t know. He knows Lydia and he know more than he lets on. But Dr. McNamara doesn’t seem fond of him.” The older man stretched and groaned as several bones popped. “Stiles, are you scared?”

The younger man started to answer and then plopped down on one of the sectionals. “Yeah. I mean since I was sixteen I’ve been dealing with this mess, but this is different. The alphas were like nothing compared to this. Even the necromancer last year, as terrible as it was, still was limited. This, this was an attack on several fronts at once. And we don’t even know what else happened.” Stiles stretched and yawned. “This feels bigger than all of that stuff. Okay, I need sleep.”

Cameron nodded and checked the locks. As headed to his room he noticed a shadow move outside the window of the living room. All the wards were intact, but he was on alert now. “I am not being paranoid.” He looked around again and frowned as he approached the door. “Nope, not going out there alone.” Slowly he went back towards his bedroom. With a mental command several candles lit up. It was a trick his mother taught him and a passive spell woven into the wax. Snores from the other bedroom told Cameron that Stiles was out. Carefully, he pulled a knife from his nightstand and placed it under one of his pillows. The wards and magic would deter, but not stop a physical break-in. The night already proved that something was out to get them.

* * *

 

John sat outside the infirmary waiting for his deputy to wake up. The day had been a bear and now he had to make sure his deputy was okay. The fact that there was one kid in the hospital and that was because they could not cover that up with witnesses. Parrish on the other hand was easy to hide away in the short term.

Noise brought his attention back to the present. He got up and looked in and watched as Parrish slowly sat up.

“How do you feel?”

The deputy looked up and frowned. “Like something died in my mouth and like I should be dead. What happened?”

The sheriff moved closer. “Was kind of hoping you would tell me.” He motioned to Jordan’s healed chest. “You got gored and there isn’t a mark on you.”

“I seem to recall searing pain, but not much after. I also remember Patrick looking a little furry in the face.” Parrish groaned as he stood up. John grabbed his arm before the young man face planted. “Thanks.”

“So, any idea why I’m not seeing injuries and talking to you instead of mourning a fallen officer.” John pointed to Jordan’s stomach again. “I’ve had the misfortune of seeing far too many stacked abs in the last year and it’s giving me body envy.”

Jordan chuckled and groaned. “Well I’m sore if that’s any consolation.” He hesitated for a second. “I honestly don’t know what happened. Weird things happen around me from time to time.”

John leaned back and nodded. He knew the kid was from the area, but raised by his mother and step-father. Army background didn’t show anything except the kid made it out alive when a few in his company didn’t. He walked over to one of the lockers and pulled out a t-shirt. All the injuries to the kids had sustained over the years they kept bulk t-shirts and underwear on hand for those emergencies.

“That lady, tall, black, nice, she spoke to me while I was asleep. I don’t know what she said. But it made something in me change.” He stretched and groaned again. “Where am I?”

“Hale Manor. Come on, I’ll take you home.”

* * *

 

The three containers were on the parking pad leaving barely enough room for the cars in the garage bays to get out. Three of the garage bay doors were open to give them access to bring in all the contents. Michael told them to leave the stone golems outside while they got everything else in first.

Derek stood wide-eyed as all the containers were opened. “What are we going to do with all of this?”

A dark chuckle escaped Peter’s mouth before he could stop it. “The easiest will be the gold. We store that deep below though there is a way we can convert some of it through extraordinary means.”

Porter, Patrick, Mia, and Karina all started pulling out crates while Lynn and Chris started documenting everything. Michael and Derek wrestled with the largest items.

The sarcophagus was ajar and Lynn pushed it further. “Derek, Michael look at this!” She pushed the lid further and pointed to the empty relic. “The inscriptions inside say this is a containment artifact. There are ancient spells on this to hold something of great power inside.”

“Let’s move this out of the way and keep it handy. We may need it soon.” Michael moved back to unloading.

“There are so many weapons here, what was your family into?” asked Porter as he carried out one of the weapons racks.

Lynn could hardly contain her excitement as the books and scrolls were examined. She took a step back as they opened one crate. “There are very powerful items in there. Ancient powerful magic is in there. Leave it for Stiles and Lydia to look over with us. Place these in Danny’s lab.”

One of the oldest crates shifted open and Patrick, Porter, and Mia raced to stabilize it. The side broke open and out fell several weapons. Lynn held them back from grabbing them. She eyed a few and motioned for towels. “I don’t think we can touch these directly. That is a staff of magic. It must be examined. That knife, I think that can be handy, but it needs to be examined as well.”

“Oh Yes!” yelled Derek.

The others cleaned up the mess and moved over to Derek, who was acting like a kid.

Lynn frowned, “You were the one who said to get this done quickly.”

“Yes, I did, but we have one!” He pointed to an old tattered carpet that was unrolled in one of the bays. “That is a flying carpet.”

“Looks like an old rug that needs lots of cleaning,” Karina responded with a frown. “Lots of cleaning because it smells!”

“How do you know that?” Porter asked skeptically as he propped the end with his shoe.

“It was mentioned in the family tome,” Michael called out from one of the containers. “We can have a good look at some of this stuff after it’s unloaded. Now get a move on!”

* * *

 

The scene was grisly; bodies were everywhere in the ‘chapel’ as it was called. It was a storefront church and the worshipers were drained of blood. None of them looked like they offered any resistance before they died. Alameda County Sheriff’s Office was out as well as the Oakland Police.

Sam and Camille waited outside before getting a chance to look around.  Sam flipped through some online information concerning the church. “It’s been around for eight months. Very much an ‘End Times’ type of dogma.”

They were motioned in before they could continue their conversation. Both agents covered their mouths and noses as they entered. They had to step carefully since there was blood splatter everywhere. Bodies were thrown about, but the look of peace on all the victims’ faces was unbelievable.

Camille pointed to one of the walls and took a picture. “Arafel, again and in several places. Look, there are several more renditions of that theme.”

Same looked around and frowned. He grabbed one of the medical examiners, “How many bodies?”

“So far we’ve found thirty-three relatively intact. But we found seven livers in the freezer back there. We don’t know the real body count yet.”

The two FBI agents finished their look-in and walked out. “The lease was cash and it’s a bogus name at that.”

Camille whirled to turn around, drawing her gun as she did so.

“Peace, agent.” Materializing out of seemingly nowhere, a man in a grey cloak appeared in front of them. “You should have called us first.”

It took a moment and Sam realized that a Warden of the White Council was in front of him. “Hard to officially contact a group we don’t acknowledge exists.”

“I’m Carlos Ramirez, Warden Commander of the Western United States, and I should have been your first call. You know how to contact us if need be.” The man glared at the agents. “A tremendous amount of blood magic was used here. I need to get inside.”

Both agents stepped in front of him, preventing him from advancing. “That is an official crime scene and you can’t enter,” Sam stated clearly.

“I need to know the nature of the magic used. The fact that it was detected raises extremely disturbing questions.” Ramirez frowned and looked around. “Look, you two were at the Battle of Beacon Hills which is why I unveiled and spoke to you. Whatever did this makes what you saw there look like a small fireworks display compared to a nuclear explosion. I need to see.”

The agents traded a look. “Okay, we’ll go back in so follow closely, but be invisible again. We can’t explain you.”

They took another tour through the room. This time they went to the back and saw even more writing on the walls. The images were hard to see, but they took the pictures to see if they could digitally enhance what was under the blood.

Back in the sunlight, the agents shivered. “There were spells written in the walls to sap strength and drain willpower.” Carlos shuddered. “Do you know of any other places like this one? Places where there were tags of the Coming End?”

Sam groaned with growing dread. “We know of at least three other places.”

“Show them to me.”

* * *

 

Michael made his way up the walkway to the Dunbar residence. He could feel the kid inside and another heartbeat made him guess it was his mother. Ringing the doorbell, Michael waited. He looked down and debated what to wear, opting for very casual; a Marine t-shirt and cargo shorts were the uniform of the day.

The door opened and the kid looked shocked when he saw Michael. “What are you doing here?”

Deciding to seize the upper hand instantly, Michael flashed his eyes and exerted his power. “I’m here to help you.”

“Liam, who is it?”

Before the kid could answer, Michael moved past his first turned beta and walked in. “Ms. Dunbar, my name is Michael Hale.”

“Oh, Mr. Hale, Ms. Morell mentioned you.” A lovely woman with auburn hair and a nice smile greeted him. “Please come in. Thank you for helping Liam yesterday.”

“You’re welcome. Marin asked me to come by to see if I could help. My family has deep roots in the community.” He gave her a big smile.

Liam rolled his eyes while he listened to them talking. Normally he would have run, but something was making him stay still and be quiet. The smile from the man made him smile slightly in return.

“Yes, I’ll have someone come over in the morning and pick Liam up. Most likely it will be my ward, Brett. Nice meeting you.” Michael stood up and walked to the door. He motioned for Liam to follow. He pulled the boy into a hug. The boy was short, but solid. The kid inhaled deeply as they hugged and Michael felt the boy relax. “You’ll be fine. We start tomorrow.”

* * *

 

“Why do I get roped into these things?” demanded Isaac. “I had to go to México and I had to wander around the Nevernever for who knows how long. And now I have to go help with some portal…”

“If you don’t shut up, I will rip your spleen out right now,” hissed Erica.

It was early Friday evening. Chris called and arranged everything. Cameron and Boyd showed up soon after under orders from Michael. They were going to look at Shasta and the Mission portal. Cameron took the journal from Boyd and placed it on the stand. Instantly the portal opened.

“Okay, we are heading through. We’ll call when we are there and see if it is two way. If it isn’t…”

“Yes, oh great and wise leader, we know,” huffed Isaac. He yelped when Erica punched him the arm. “What was that for?”

“You know why!”

Boyd and Cameron ignored them and headed towards the entrance into the Ways. Cameron went first and started cursing when he stepped into knee high water. Boyd followed and did the same.

“Man, you are buying me some new shoes. Whatever we are stepping in is nasty!”

They trudged through the brackish water and through the narrow confines of the cavern. The water level fell as they walked up an incline. The air was stale with lack of movement. As they crested the small ridge, they saw the other end of the cavern with a portal marking the exit.

“I guess we’re somewhere else.” Boyd pulled out his cellphone and had no signal. That alone gave no indication of anything. He pulled out a Ziploc bag and put his phone in there and then back in his backpack. He motioned for Cameron to do the same. “Shall we?”

They went through the portal and were instantly underwater. Cameron pushed up and found he was in a larger cavern than before. Boyd surfaced next to him. Cameron looked around and noticed a ledge. He swam over and heard Boyd following. There was a path that went in two directions.

“Let’s try this way,” Boyd said as he headed left. They walked along and the water was soon up to their waists. It was up to their chests when they came out and were looking out from an alcove out onto the lake. “Guess we are in Shasta. Rather not pull out my phone to confirm.”

Cameron looked around and pointed. “That’s a boat dock over there well above the water line.” He pulled out his phone and got a signal. “Yup, we are in Shasta Lake. Let’s go back.” Cameron led the way back and the path led them past where they surfaced and into a small carved tunnel that was also full of water. “When the lake was higher even three weeks ago this would have been totally submerged.”

“It will get worse if the drought continues,” Boyd noted. The passage opened up into a larger room and across it was a door. Sigils glowed on the walls and the door, but their light was faint. Boyd reached out and touched the door and it swung open.

Beyond the door, in the middle of the room was a large crystal, taller than either Boyd or Cameron. There were small crystals on the base of the walls and a few small ones around the base of the large one. The center crystal glowed with an inner light.

“Boyd, something is in that crystal.”

“Of course there is,” he snarked. “Can we get back the way we came?” They took off and closed the door. Cameron dived down and his hand went through the portal. He surfaced and motioned for Boyd to join him.

They went back and came out back in the mission. Erica recoiled at the smell. “Okay, does it have to stink every time people go over _there_?”

Cameron elbowed Boyd. “Let’s get cleaned up and we’ll see what Derek and Michael want us to do.”

* * *

 

“Why am I doing this again?” Scott asked as he hoped up onto the exam table. He was thankful that this exam was taking place at Dr. Keys’ private office and not at the manor. Though Lynn waiting outside didn’t make Scott feel any better.

“You were essentially magically mugged and then prepped to be a magical sacrifice. We monitored Derek for months and while you weren’t nearly as bad off, it could have been terrible on many fronts.” Keys walked over and patted Scott’s leg. “Besides, I am the doctor of note for most of you now.” He noticed Scott’s eyes look at the door. “Lynn is waiting until after the physical exam to do a ‘spiritual’ exam if you wish.”

Scott nodded and leaned back. He winced a bit when the doc started examining his genitals. The sudden pressure made him flinch and he winced again as the doc kept moving his nuts around.

Before he knew it, he was getting a cut on his leg and he yelled, “Hey, that hurt!”

Bronson raised his hand to silence Scott. He watched as the wound was slow to heal. “Show me your eyes.”

“What?”

Calling on a bit of magic, Bronson raised a hand to Scott and the young wolf’s eyes flashed. The shaman frowned and looked back at the now healed cut. “You’ve not recovered from the damage they did to you. Something is off, I’m surprised you haven’t noticed.”

“Well,” Scott muttered. “I haven’t…since that happened…I haven’t…you know…jacked off…at all.”

Alarmed, Keys called out, “That isn’t right at all. Lynn!”

Scott tried to cover up before she came in. He’d been on the smaller side of average before the bite and now was a little above average. However the last few days he felt weak and definitely not normal. His morning stiffie had been missing and that was very unusual. Isaac hadn’t said anything, but Scott hadn’t been in the mood…at all.

Lynn came over and placed a hand on his head. “He’s only partially healed. His energy is still locked down in part.” She looked over and Keys and frowned. “Danny is the only who can fix that in a human body.”

Groaning, Scott hid his face. “Ugh, everyone will know that I’m not healing.”

“The good thing is this can be fixed. You came very close to being castrated and not just physically, but psychically,” Keys reminded the wolf. “Get dressed and we’ll meet Danny at the manor.”

* * *

 

The trip from Stanford to Beacon Hills via the Ways wasn’t exciting or long. It was a nice twenty minute stroll for Lydia, Stiles, and Danny. Leighton was with Cameron in Davis to test alternate theories.

Lydia stopped complaining as soon as she saw the treasure trove of recovered items from Mazatlán. “Gold aside, this stuff is priceless!”

Stiles couldn’t believe the array of magical paraphernalia arranged on several tables. In two boxes near the table were several books that looked to be the personal magical journals from several generations of Hale mages. None of them were in English, but several in an odd mix of Spanish, Latin, and Arabic.

They came upon a staff that was a little over six feet in height, but was deeply engraved with many runes and glyphs. Stiles gripped it and his vision swam. Instantly he knew this was ancient, made of Lebanese Cedar and originally created in ancient Egypt. Many visions passed through his head before he placed it back on the table.

“That was intense.” Blinking rapidly, he tried to clear his vision. He looked through several weapons, many made with old Spanish steel which made them very valuable. But there was a variety of weapons. Katanas, scimitars, broad swords, axes, knives, and all of them had some of engraving on them. Runes, glyphs, or sigils of some type. But some of it was indecipherable.

“Stiles, some of these are Phoenician and some Egyptian, but some of these aren’t either. They don’t match cuneiform either.” Lydia frowned as she picked up some of the oldest style weapons. “Some of these still have their enchantments.” 

“I’m running them through every database and got nothing,” Danny said from across the room. “And that metal coating a few of them comes back unknown. That’s probably how they hold their magic because iron eats it.”

Lydia pulled out a knife from a jeweled case and almost dropped it. Her vision swam and suddenly she was in the gray world. However, instead of panicking, she focused on the vision and pushed through.

_The dagger slashed through a spell wall with ease and penetrated a shield like it was paper. All enchantments fell before it as she ran up some stairs. A demigod stood there and laughed at her. She plunged the dagger to the hilt in its chest and it screamed. All its power failed at once._

“This is a dagger of dissolution. It breaks magic; it killed a demigod before back in ancient Persia.” She looked closer at it. The dagger had a curved blade with glowing runes on it. But the writing was unknown.

They got quiet for a moment. “That could be what they are after. That could free the angel from its prison and kill it.” Stiles put it back and picked up the staff. “I’m going to see if I can get anything from this in the workroom. Have fun!”

Danny and Lydia looked at each other and then at Stiles’ retreating back. “Why am I not surprised that he just left?

“Because we know how he is,” Lydia grunted. “It’s fine though, we can make a few discoveries and not share them with him. Serves him right.”

Kira walked in and started looking over some of the weapons. Her eyes flashed as she reached for the scimitar and then the katana. “These are ancient, but the engravings aren’t native to the sword. The katana, these aren’t Japanese and that isn’t Arabic or Farsi on the Scimitar. It’s odd. I’m no mage, but I can sense magic…”

“Can all kitsune sense magic?” Danny inquired. “We’ve focused more on the markings and magic and less on when they may have been done.”

“No, you don’t understand, the magic and marking were done as soon as the weapons were forged, but they aren’t native to the type of weapon,” Kira clarified. “That’s what makes this odd.”

Lydia smiled at her and wrote down some notes. “We’ll add it to the growing list of things to look into. At this rate we’ll be senior citizens before we get any answers.”

* * *

 

Cameron groaned as this time he was taking Leighton, Cora, and Allison with him while Boyd, Ethan, Erica, and Jackson remained behind. Chris was near Shasta already with Patrick trying to locate the entrance from there.

“Make sure all your stuff is waterproofed. It won’t take long, but we have no idea how long we will be there,” he told them all. With that the passage opened and the quartet set off.

“Ugh, Boyd said it was nasty and he underplayed it,” Cora growled. “Glad he told us to wear our oldest shoes.”

“It smells gross,” Leighton said as he covered his nose and mouth. “How can you stand it?”

“We hurry,” answered Cameron.

They came out in the large tunnel and Allison pulled out her camera while Cora set up some lights. They needed clean images from the walls and the stones to know exactly what they were dealing with.  

“Can we even get a signal in here to send these to Danny?” Cora yelled from her spot. She had battery packs for the lights so they wouldn’t go out so quick.

Allison had her stuff ready and took a few pictures to start. “These were carved into the stone and it looks worn. How long has this place been here?”

“We can only read the book in the Mission and that place gives us the creeps so we really haven’t been able to study it very much,” Cameron said as he pulled his gear out. He was going to run a few magical tests. It was decided that it was too risky to send one of their heavy hitting mages for fear of the unknown protections in the cave. This meant Cameron was running tests and hoping not to get singed in the process.

Leighton came back from the outside. “Tell me when and I’ll send them a ping.”

“Actually, come stand near the door first, I want to see if it will react to you.”

Staring at the wolf, Leighton nodded. “If anything happens to me, my grandmother will be most displeased. She loves her curses.”

* * *

 

“So how is working with Jordan now?” Chris asked while getting their small boat launched. “He said anything?”

Patrick shook his head. “He’s been as jovial as normal which is always annoying. Now I’ve caught him looking at me funny a few times, but that happened before the incident as well.” He put their bags into the boat and pushed off. “So any idea where we need to head. The lake may be smaller, but it still covers plenty of area.”

Once they were on the water, Chris signaled the manor servers and that would signal the group in the cave. From there it was a matter of locating their spot.

“How are things with Peter and his daughter?”

Chris groaned. “Let’s say he is both eager and apprehensive. Liz has made things easier as have Neela and Bronson. Their kids are great. Brett is…he’s a teenage boy with his mind on other things. I’m glad she’s taken to her cousins, Jasmine and Nicky because they grounded her instantly.”

Patrick raised an eyebrow. “And how are you doing?”

“It’s crowded in the manor now. All that space and when the kids are home it’s like we’re on top of each other.” Chris sighed. “Got a hit. Head towards that branch and up stream.”

Twenty minutes of moving around they arrived close to the location. Patrick navigated the boat the opposite side of the branch and climbed out. Slowly he and Chris climbed the bank to the upper shore. Foliage hid the exit only partially on the other side, but it wasn’t easy to see.

“Doesn’t look like it will be easy to enter.” Chris typed a few things into his phone and waited. “The magical protections are fading and almost nonexistent at the entrance. Cameron and Leighton think they will be gone before Halloween.”

That changed things significantly. “Did the images come out clean?”

Chris nodded. “They’ve been sent. Danny and his software is trying to figure out what is on the walls.”

* * *

 

Everyone was back in Beacon Hills for the evening. Danny kept checking on Scott to make sure the healing he needed was taking place. People were all over each other, but it made it feel like a home.

Derek pulled out the plans unrolling them on one of the library tables. The area for the new building was already cleared, but he still didn’t like it. They needed the rooms, but the whole thing didn’t feel cohesive.

“With everything else going on, this is what has you preoccupied?” asked John. He handed Derek a beer.

“It’s a way to relax and let other thoughts drift together.” Derek pulled up an image of a painting of their ancestral home in Spain. “This is where my family lived for centuries. The painting was in all the stuff we recovered. It needs to be restored, but look at it, it was a gorgeous villa. Don’t get me wrong, this is a nice house, but a contained courtyard sounds very nice considering everything.”

“It is pretty, but it was their home. Time to make this one your home.” John clapped Derek on the back. “Monopoly and Uno are about to start downstairs. Going to join in?”

Derek groaned. “Everyone will be fighting by the end of the night. Sore losers the lot of them.”

Using the time to focus on other things, Stiles pulled out the staff and started meditating in the workroom. Slowly running his hands along the wood, he opened his awareness to all its flows. It had power, it had been in use for centuries, but also out of use for centuries. All the Hale spell books showed they stopped somewhere in the late Sixteenth or early Seventeenth Centuries. He had no idea why, but that was a different mystery.

Instantly, he knew the staff was incomplete; it lacked its own focus stone, but the energy of the staff still had stories to tell. Calling on his inner sight, he traced his fingers along the wood and listened.

_Words whispered just beyond his understanding. For a moment he was one of Egypt’s famed magi, summoning the gods to smite their enemies. But the enemy called down their own power. He is far from his base of power and the foreign god is strong with the faith of his people. He screams as he is sacrificed for his god to withdrawal._

_The staff is stolen by a Phoenician soldier after a sea raid. The power changed as the staff was reworked from Egyptian glyphs to Phoenician ones. It was in Carthage at the time of the second Punic War and a war prize._

Stiles blinked and looked away. It had been in Hale hands since 200BCE, but was made during the legendary third Egyptian Dynasty. It was ancient beyond all counting. He knew it needed a crystal of some sort and the vague images and voices would be clear. It was exciting and terrifying, but the knowledge it could contain was priceless.  

* * *

 

It was the smell that triggered the phone call. It was an unknown location to the FBI and it was in San Jose, at the southern end of the San Francisco Bay Area. Located near the airport, it was also close to many correctional and police facilities. The warehouse was rank with flies and the stink of rotten corpses.

Carlos walked in after the FBI agents cleared him. His flashlight held up, even though it was new, as he took in the carnage. “How many days was this here?”

“Three,” Camille answered. She frowned as lightbulbs flashed. Power was out in the building and there were crews out trying to restore it. “Forty one bodies so far.”

Several forensic examiners were looking at the walls and a huge pattern drawn on the wide expansive floor. Sam walked around the circle and started taking pictures as well. He knelt down and moved a bit of the dried blood to look underneath. “Hey, make sure you get a paint sample under the blood. Looks like there was an outline of some kind before this was…filled in.”

Carlos moved around to the walls and took in the whole scene. All of his gear was still in the car since they wanted him to blend in. Still he could do a few things. He waved a hand in front of his eyes and looked to see if there were any lingering traces of the spell or its caster. He got the impression of a dozen Fomorian Servitors in the room draining the life-force and using it for a spell. There was so much power and it was channeled. Where it was going was the mystery. He moved back towards the agents and frowned. This was the fifth site and it was obvious to him that it was all about power. Many of the agents’ coworkers were looking for a cult. He couldn’t tell them that the cult they were looking for was over a thousand years old and also not human.

“Local PD is furious,” Sam said. “They want to know how they missed this.”

“Because the homeless and unwanted are ignored. Society doesn’t see them, it’s almost programmed in,” Carlos muttered. “They came, all of them at all the sites, because they were promised something, because someone showed them attention. A willing sacrifice is far greater in value than a forced one. The power raised is off the charts.”

Camille pulled them out of the warehouse. They walked back to the car. “What do we do?”

“Power needs an outlet and a target. We go back to the place in Oakland. It was different and maybe we can learn something there.”

* * *

 

It was early Monday and everyone was gone. Derek made them all return to school and told them to check the messages on the server for new information. He didn’t trust non-encrypted messages via text anymore.

Peter pulled up a chair in the kitchen a poured a cup of coffee. “We’ll have to do something. They know where it is at and the spells are almost gone.” He pulled out his notes and looked them over. “I have a meeting tomorrow in San Francisco about investment options.”

“What about all that gold?”

Finishing his notes, Peter shrugged. “I have plans for a portion of it, but we can’t dump that on the open market. The house will have to hold a few hundred million in gold for a while.”

“You make that sound so easy,” Michael said as he joined them. “I know we were raised with money and are considered ‘Old Money’ but still, you sound cynical about that treasure.”

“There are other issues,” Peter reminded them. “Halloween is a little over three weeks away. We must secure ‘it’ before then.”

“It didn’t react to Leighton or to Cameron, maybe it is time for an alpha to visit the site so we can make real plans.” Derek looked at Michael and the older alpha nodded. “I’ll go to Davis tomorrow and meet up with Boyd there. Patrick can pick me up in Shasta.”

Peter handed some paperwork to Michael. “You need to sign these, Michael.”

It was number of documents creating a trust fund and establishing trustees and voting strength. Beneficiaries were spelled out as were the contingents. “What is this?”

Derek finished chewing on an apple and smiled. “We have the primary family trust and this creates a second one. The house, land, and all the assets in here will go into the new one. Also so will the apartment building where my old loft is located will go into this.”

“How much will that leave you?” Michael asked.

“He’s the primary trustee of both funds, but is responsible for all the payouts,” Peter grinned at Derek’s scowl.

“I still have about twenty million in personal funds. I don’t draw on the family money. That will be used when each of our pack-mates needs money to start families, get married, or start a business.”

“Okay, back to getting everything set for our problem.”  

* * *

 

“This wasn’t in the original plan,” muttered Derek. It was early evening and he and Patrick were at Shasta Lake. Instead of going through the portal, they drove to the lake since it was only half an hour away. They used an old truck that Porter liked to drive since Derek’s Camaro was too nice to look like it was going camping and Patrick’s Tahoe was nice too and didn’t want to detail it after the trip.

They followed an old dirt road that came out near the cave. Hopping out and making their way down to the lake, neither sensed they were being followed.

“We’ll leave our clothes here.” Patrick stripped first.

Derek followed and dove into the water. Both men swam for the opposite shore, using their enhanced muscles to get over there with ease. Derek ambled up and entered the cave shivering a bit as he did. “I felt that. I thought all the spells were gone up front.”

“That’s what Cameron and Leighton said,” argued Patrick as he climbed out.

As he moved further in, Derek felt a tingling along his arms. He motioned for Patrick to follow behind him at a safe distance. The closer he came to the door the more intense the sensation was. Touching the door, several of the sigils flared to life and the door glowed.

_‘You cannot do this! The mortals need guidance!’ The powerful light began to fade as a crystal started to encase the being. Three angels in full armor walked out, the lead turned back to watch the room fill with crystals._

_‘You violated your sacred oath, Kokabiel, and are sentenced to imprisonment for all eternity.’ The angel raised his hands and the door sealed shut. With another wave, seven stones etched with Enochian runes flew around and a few out into the valley. The three angels looked at each other and vanished._

Derek cleared his head and looked into the room. He knew that it was once full of crystals and now they were almost depleted. He felt his mantle reaching out towards the center crystal and he turned away. “Close the door!” He knew the spells keeping the angel locked up were going to fail soon. And if he woke up that could be just as bad as the Fomor getting him.

“Let’s go.” They left the cave and swam back. Derek climbed out and dressed. “We need a solution.” The spells started fading the Night of the Fall of the Red Court. He didn’t know how long the angel had been imprisoned, but it had been for eons. And it was all undone by something that happened in the Yucatan. “And we need it fast.”

* * *

 

It was dark, but it couldn’t be helped. They needed to take a look around the first storefront and Carlos pressed them on it. Sam and Camille walked up first with Carlos, in full warden gear, bringing up the rear.

“Are you sure we couldn’t do this in daylight?” Adams asked. “This place is full of negative energy.”

“It can’t be helped,’ the wizard responded. “Five sites have been hit, far too much power has been raised. We need answers and this place had the most intricate mural and older wards. There may be a clue as to why this has happened.”

Sam led them into the place over the police tape and through the backdoor. The bodies were gone, but the stains were evident everywhere. Carlos moved front and center. Raising his staff, he threw out a strong mage-light. Shadows bent away from the magical light and writing under painting on the walls was revealed.

“We never saw that even under black light,” Adams exclaimed. She pulled out her phone and started taking pictures.

“Any idea what it says?” Sam asked as he started taking pictures too.

Carlos raised his arm and sent out a whipcord of magical energy that nailed a shadow and suddenly a piercing wail rang out. “Run!” He pulled out his sword and used his staff to block a wraith that emerged from the wall. As he moved, he sliced another with his sword and it dissipated. “RUN!!!”

The agents tried to go out the way they came, but ran into a wall of black. “Help!” They both screamed, but Carlos was occupied. He used his sword to cut through the shadows and fought to keep the light from his staff from going out.

Slamming down the tip of his staff, the room lit up as bright as a dozen magnesium flares. When his sight cleared the room was empty and the agents gone. Running outside, he found their car trashed and them missing. “This is not good.”

* * *

 

Allison and Cora finished their fourth mile. It was early, but they needed to keep in shape. The gym was just ahead with Jackson and Boyd waiting to join them for some lifting. The boys felt they didn’t need the cardio that morning.

“They’re just lazy,” Allison said between breaths. “With no alpha around to keep them in line they pull this shit.”

“I told Derek already. I don’t care if Jackson calls me a tattle-tale, he needs to get his running in,” Cora hissed. “I can’t imagine growing up with him as my cousin. Mom would have eaten him alive.”

They stopped to stretch when Cora snapped her head up. She stared as she saw Rosa Flores walking towards them with Braeden trailing behind. The older woman smiled, “Your mother would have loved on her nephew and made him run, young lady.”

“What are you doing here?” Allison asked. She knew that all the seers were gone except this one.

“I am going to join some of my relatives in Houston for a nice vacation. Before I leave though, I must warn you. Whatever you did in Davis has created powerful ripples.” She paused and looked around. She smiled when the other two wolves joined them. She gave them both a hug.

“There is a strange dynamic taking place soon. One choice or outcome leads to utter ruin. But other paths lead to strange results.” She dropped her voice to a whisper, “They cannot have it. Tell Derek he must hide it at all costs.”

The four looked at each other and Cora nodded. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“They attacked my home twice trying to get me. I’ve been around too long for that. The seer that works here is in San Francisco if you need her. Derek knows how to contact Braeden in an emergency.” She gave Cora a hug. “You remind me of your mother so much. Be careful, they live on treachery and will do anything to get what they need. That makes them beyond dangerous.” She walked away with Braeden following.

“I’m texting Derek now,” Boyd muttered. “At this rate we’ll never get to enjoy college.”

* * *

 

Two days passed since the warning came from Boyd. Derek stretched on the patio, trying to do his yoga and force his brain to relax. The plan was set for getting the prisoner moved on Saturday. They were lucky that their servants were just like Brownies and could teleport stuff over short distances. The sarcophagus was already waiting outside the door of the cave. But they could not rush getting the prisoner into the ancient containment unit.

‘ _Derek, there is something…powerful, in the relics you brought back._ ’ Laura appeared before him. ‘ _There is a presence, but I don’t know where._ ’

“Is it dangerous?” he asked as he kept up his routine. “You haven’t been around much.” He let the implications of the question ask themselves.

She laughed and moved closer. ‘ _I am limited in what I can do right now._ ’ Her smile dropped as she came up to him. ‘ _As for dangerous, in the wrong hands it could be extremely dangerous. Michael’s arrival means I’m not as needed. But I do know that the prisoner’s revelation is a Sign. That is all I am permitted to say_.

‘ _Little brother, the fairy ring, it means more than I thought. They are all over the place and are another Sign._ ’ She looked around, ‘ _Beware!_ ’ and vanished in a flash.

He sensed the presence first, it is a small taste of a scent on the wind. There is a hint of magic in the air and one that the land recognizes. Derek instantly went on guard.

“Carlos,” he said out loud.

Suddenly in front of him is the warden, looking very tired and a little beat up.

“What the hell happened to you?” Derek asked as he moved to the mage’s side.

“This place has changed, the magic has grown stronger.” Carlos looked around and frowned. “Can’t put my finger on it. Derek, the agents that helped you last fall, Sam and Camille, they are missing.”

“What?” Derek owed them for helping during the battle. They also passed along some information now and then that the Clan found useful. Plus he still had a soft spot for Sam. “How did that happen?”

Carlos took a deep breath. “We were looking into a series of mass homicides. There were five sites laced with magic, willing sacrifices, but we don’t know why or to whom. They mentioned that one site was near a tea shop that was blown open by magic.”

Things clicked for Derek. “Were there images and tags about Arafel? Was there a large mural on the side of one of the sites?”

“Yes,” Carlos pulled out a small notepad and flipped through it. “The mural was defaced when we went back, but it was near the tea shop.”

“Yes, it was the Fomor. We think they want something near the Mission at Davis.” Derek liked Carlos, but something prevented him from sharing the information about the angelic prisoner. That was something he and his family would have to handle. “There were several attacks…”

“Yes and then these sacrifices.” Carlos looked at Derek and frowned. “There were attacks here as well.”  

“Berserkers and we handled it. Looks like they wanted Michael’s children.” Derek pulled a water out of the mini-fridge and offered one to the wizard. “How do you get here? I never feel the Summer Gate open.”

Laughter erupted from Carlos and he had to grab a column to keep upright. “There is a portal from San Francisco that exits near downtown Beacon Hills. The only problem is that it is close to a wildfae village in the Nevernever. It is a route to be used sparingly.”

Derek ran inside and into the Library. He pulled up a map of the town on the electronic table and then put a map of San Francisco on the monitor. “Where?”

Carlos followed quickly, fiddled for a moment and the pointed to the place in the city. “Near Chinatown.”

Looking over the maps, Derek knew it instantly. “That was the way of escape.”

Peter and Michael joined them after hearing all of the commotion and looked over the maps. Carlos moved to the side and motioned to Derek. “What is going on?”

It took a moment for Derek to answer. “Something my mom was working on before she died. We also think a Fomorian has been haunting one of the kids, but that is all.”

For a moment Carlos looked like he was going to press, but nodded. “I need to return to the search, but I was supposed to come by here last week. You knew the agents and I have no idea what happened. Be on your guard.”

Derek watched as the wizard left. “He knows something is up.”

“Regardless, we now have an idea why I was doing what I was doing in San Francisco.” Peter pointed to the maps. “Now we just need to figure out how we will make Saturday happen.”

* * *

 

Slowly she woke up and knew she was tied to a chair. It was dark and she ached from lack of movement. Trying to tap into her abilities, she found she couldn’t.

“As if we don’t know about you, Agent Adams,” came a voice from the dark. “You were in the wrong place with a warden. He escaped from us and we’ve been unable to locate him.”

She watched as a tall thin man came from the shadows. He didn’t look human or human anymore. “What do you want?”

“Well, Agent Winchester isn’t much use to us except as a drone. You however have some skills and maybe some knowledge that could useful.” The man came forward and smiled. “You’ve visited the Archives and that is impossible to breach.”

“Who are you?” her voice was stronger now and she felt a fog lifting from her mind. But her abilities were still hindered.

“Who I am is no concern of yours, but we need to know what you know…” he walked over and pulled her head up. Placing a hand on the back of her head he made her meet his gaze.

A battle of wills took place, but she was weak and still trying to gather her strength while he was at full charge. Camille soon found herself back in Washington from a visit months ago.

_‘Ah Agent Adams, there is someone in Beacon Hills you need to meet. Jordan Parrish…_ ’

She was suddenly out staring at the thin man. He turned and looked to the shadows. “If the Venatori are involved then we must see why they know this…man.” He turned back to Adams. “As for you, inside help is always wonderful.” He reached out and suddenly her entire body was on fire.

Camille Adams screamed and blacked out as the man chuckled.

* * *

 

It ended up being a complex operation. Lynn, Marin, Bronson, and Jennifer all left in a single car to get to Davis and meet Lydia, Cameron, and Stiles. The seven of them went through the portal to get to the crystal cave.

Meanwhile, Patrick and Porter went to the lake directly. Isaac, Boyd, and Cora were guarding the Mission so that side of the portal was protected.

Stiles brought the staff with him. The connection to him was strong; it called to him. He passed the sarcophagus on the way to the door. The others followed. Cameron walked up to the door and opened it. “The water level has gone down again.”

“The drought is taking a toll on everything,” Marin noted. “How do we do this?”

Cameron frowned. “That crystal is smaller than the last time I was here. Not sure this could have waited much longer.”

“That should not be too heavy then,” Lynn stated. “We get it inside the sarcophagus and then work some magic.”

Patrick and Porter went into the room and lifted the center crystal up. It came loose with ease. Stiles went over and gathered a large broken off piece of the crystal. He eyed another piece and put that in his backpack.

Slowly the two wolves placed the crystal inside the sarcophagus. The lid was placed on it as well. Stiles walked over and put the larger of the crystals on top of the lid, centering it.  

“Everyone gather around.” Stiles positioned everyone around the new prison. He cleared his mind and focused on sealing the lid. He drew a sigil in the air that was visible to all the mages in the room. They all focused on it and it grew brighter and brighter.

Gathering his strength, Stiles slammed his fist down on the lid. The Sigil flared as did the crystal. In an instant the crystal melted and sealed the lid into the sarcophagus. He wobbled, but was caught by Porter.

Lydia walked around the stone tomb and nodded. She pointed to a glowing stone in the wall. “What is that?”

“Looks like one of the Enochian stones that were mentioned,” Jennifer said as she walked over. She picked it up and handed it to Lynn. “It’s still glowing, but I don’t sense much power in it.”

“Okay, Lynn, you and Marin are supposed to come back with us. Jennifer and Bronson are going back to the Davis and will drive up.” Porter smiled as the group bound for Davis.

“What about that?” asked Cameron as he pointed to the sarcophagus.

“They have a plan in place and I don’t know what it is,” Patrick answered. “Okay, get a move on.” The cave was now eerie now that the prison had changed.

Stiles dove in and noticed another Enochian stone. He picked it up and swam for the portal entrance. He was never so happy as he was when he came out in the Mission. “That water sucks!”

The stone in his hand reacted once he was in the building. It flew from his grip and embedded into the wall. The walls lit up like Christmas for a moment and then returned to normal.

“What was that? Lydia demanded as she tried to clear her vision.

“The stone reacted with the Mission,” Bronson said as he ran a hand along the walls. “Look, the book is glowing as well.”

Boyd picked it up and grinned. “Looks like the writing is now visible.”

“Take it back to the manor and give it to Lynn,” Stiles ordered. “Let’s get out of here. The wards are active and I don’t know why.” He looked around saw several symbols he didn’t recognize or fit this place, but mirrored a few that were on his staff that had him confused.

* * *

 

An old U-Haul moving truck sat in the parking lot of Shasta Lake, as close as possible to the damn. Chris sat a few feet away and noticed when the tires got a bit lower from the new weight in the back. He got up and made his way to the driver’s seat.

It was still a couple hours before dawn as he headed south. There was a nice storage facility in Chico where he was going to stash the truck for a few days. They needed to keep the cargo off the radar so the Fomor didn’t know where it was at.

White knuckling it the whole way, Chris tried to get his neck muscles to relax. This was high stakes stuff and he hoped his plans kept their enemy off balance. It was a need to know operation and few needed to know.

He pulled into the place and drove to the back. It was off the main road a bit and nearing dawn. It was hard to spot. Pulling out a small vile, he locked the truck and threw it at the side of the truck. A cloud of vapor rose up and the truck shimmered for a moment.

Chris smiled as he walked a few blocks to where his new motorcycle was waiting. He figured after everything he’s done lately he was owed a reward. And he knew Peter would argue it was a midlife crisis purchase, but Chris knew that every man had to treat himself from time to time.  

* * *

 

A week passed and nothing of note happened. It was a lazy Sunday and Derek was glad that no one was home from school. They all midterms and some were a bit more panicked than others. He knew Cameron had to drag Stiles back to their apartment to get some sleep. Apparently Stiles was living in the library trying to cram for his tests.

Cora complained that it was too soon for the midterms and Allison was ready for them to be over. Erica on the other hand laughed as all her courses were intro basics while Scott complained he was injured and should get another week to study.

Overall, it was nice to see them all acting like college kids. Meanwhile he heard the screams of delight coming from the lake. Michael had his family down there and they were joined by his new beta and his best friend. Add in Malia and the Keys twins and it was a party down on the lake.

“Why are you up here all alone?” Liz asked as she started working in the outdoor kitchen with Yolanda and Lilian.

He pointed to his easel, paints, and canvas. “Forced relaxation is the name of the game this afternoon.” The most he’d done all week was paper work and get rid of thirty chests of gold. Apparently, Harry Potter wasn’t far off the mark; there was a supernatural bank, but it was run by dwarves, not goblins. The funny part was how long his family had an account there. His family had good credit with various nations and now he doubled the reserves on hand with the dwarves. A clearing throat brought him back to the present. He was happy that he had less in the house that could be stolen.  

“You could relax at the lake,” Liz said with a smile.

He knew better. “No thanks, Michael can handle that lot.” It was less than a dozen days to Halloween. All he wanted to do is get through that night. The cries of ravens broke his train of thought.

‘ _They entered the cave! They know it is missing!_ ’

And with that Derek knew that their break was over. He sent a message to the server for everyone to see. ‘ **They know. Be prepared for anything.** ’

* * *

 

John sat in the bullpen helping out his officers. Parrish was out on patrol with a few more deputies stationed near the schools. Derek’s warning was three days ago and John played it smoothly. All of his deputies knew about the supernatural and the town now. After the battle almost a year ago, they all stayed after not wanting to abandon the citizens or leave the town. That made it easier to tell them that trouble was coming, but John didn’t know when.

Halloween was a little over a week away. As each day passed John knew the tension rose for everyone.

Parrish’s voice came over the scanner, “Possible 98 in progress, code 3.”

The sun was still out and it was early, but a DWI knew no time frame. “Roger,” came the response from the duty officer.

Jordan called in the license plates and got ready to get out.

“Sheriff, those plates were reported stolen five days ago.”

He raced over to pick up the mic, “Parrish, proceed with caution and await backup. Possible 503.”

Jordan slowed down his movements and unlocked his gun. He kept his shoulder mic on as he approached slowly. The car was intact, if a little dirty, but most vehicles were with water restrictions limiting car washes.

“Two people in the car,” he let dispatch know what he was seeing.

When he came up to the driver’s side window he backed up. The man had no eyes and smiled with a grin full of black teeth. A dark laugh came from its mouth. “The one they have here is Nephilim. Nephilim!!!”

Jordan pulled his gun when the passenger door swung open and a large creature oozed from its seat. “Uh, help!” he fired and hit the ooze monster and he turned to run. Jordan screamed when he felt something hit him in the back of the thigh. He collapsed, but turned to fire at the driver.

“Nephilim is a great prize! Its heart is priceless!”

A long curved knife appeared in the driver’s hand. Jordan crawled towards the embankment and hoped he could get lost in the forest. He screamed as the knife slashed his arm. The wicked blade was covered in his blood.

A roar rang out and the driver and his compatriot froze as several werewolves broke through the dense undergrowth. The driver laughed as he vanished.  Jordan tried to stand, but his thigh burned.

Patrick pulled up and frowned. “It’s started!” he jumped out and examined Jordan. “You okay?”

“Stings, but I’ll be fine.”

Mia stepped up and looked around. “It called you Nephilim.”

“I have no idea what that is,” Jordan answered as he massaged his healing thigh.

Patrick shook his head. “It’s the offspring of an angel and mortal.”

Jordan looked around and then frowned. “That’s just great!”

* * *

 

Two days passed since Jordan was attacked and it was now under a week before Halloween. All the other college kids were excited about the parties and midterms being over. For all the clan-mates it was a weekend that should be fun, but also there was a sense of dread.

Lydia received word of what the attackers said about Jordan Parrish. She was the one who deemed it bad. “They have a knife with his blood on it. It can kill the angel if they can get into the sarcophagus. They have a weapon now.”

None of them knew where the sarcophagus as located, but they knew the cave had been trashed. It also appeared as though they targeted Jordan on purpose, but didn’t know he was a Nephilim. It was clear that Jordan had no clue either.

Stiles and his group emerged from the Ways and walked to Scott’s place, it was a few blocks and not far. It was college and they were going to have a good time. Cameron made two liquor runs so fars. The wolves couldn’t get drunk per se, but they could get a bit tipsy with some help. Allison was already up here along with her group.

It was the last Saturday of October and they were going to enjoy it. Music was pumping as they walked down the street. Leighton rolled his eyes as he saw kids already out on the lawn dancing. “Dude, it’s barely after sunset!”

“Who cares if they started early!” Danny moved passed them and headed to the door. “They have the right idea.” He noticed lots of the guys were shirtless and joined them. Leighton sighed and did the same.

Lydia nodded in agreement, “We deserve some fun.”

The house rocked with music and people everywhere. Isaac invited just about everyone he’d met at Davis as had Ethan. It was great to see everyone when the end of the world wasn’t hanging in the balance.

Stiles dropped his shot glass as he felt it first. There was a magical disturbance close by. He moved to the front door where Jackson came after him.

“Keep everyone inside or the back,” Stiles said in a low clear voice. “I’m going to check this out.”

Before he knew it, he was joined by Boyd and Cora. The disturbance grew stronger down the street. Kira came up behind them wielding a katana. “You never know.”

Standing under a street light was Hammond Byers. Stiles motioned for his companions to fall back. Slowly he walked to towards the man. “You rang?” He found the man more annoying by the second.

“I wasn’t expecting you, but one of the mangy mongrels. Though you will work just as well.”

The attack was swift, but expected. His shield deflected the blow. Several phantoms came from the shadows heading towards him. Stiles laughed and threw some silver nitrate into the air. At a snap of his fingers the powder exploded outwards arcing like electrcity and took out the shadows.

“Next?” Stiles taunted. He fell to his knees with the mental attack. But he wasn’t defenseless.

‘ _Where is it!_ ’

“Ah, none of us have any idea.” Stiles fired a lightning bolt right at Byers. The mage screamed and took off. Stiles got up and looked around. The wolves shook their heads. “They’re looking, but still don’t know.” The party was still going so he and his friends headed back, but Stiles’ anxiety increased. The Fomor were desperate and that was a bad sign.

“Derek, Byers was here. He’s gone, but they’ll keep trying until the find what they need.”

* * *

 

Lydia closed her book and stretched. The down time really gave her a chance to study for school. The gray world appeared in an instant. She pushed her sight and saw lots of activity all around. Battles were started and soon joined by others. Light and Dark, all full of explosions. Everything was confusing.

“It would be confusing since the world is a mess.”

Startled, Lydia jumped from her chair. She stared at Luke Amirani. “Are you always this creepy?”

“I meant no offense. But we both know that something is going to happen this Thursday. Two days and everything will be different after those events.” He sat down and motioned for her to sit again. “They have attacked multiple sites again. They can’t get to your house, but they can get to you. Stay in one place all of you until this is over. Especially you lot. Your wolves aren’t in danger at Berkeley, but you are the ones who touch magic and that makes you useful. They steal people like you.”

She rolled her eyes, but nodded. “Five people in two bedrooms with two bathrooms. This will not be pleasant.”

“Better that than dead or possessed.” He stood up. “You have great power, possibly more than your classmate. Learn all you can.” He turned to leave. “Be on guard until this is over.”

“Who are you?”

“I told you, I’d tell you when you knew who you were.” With that he left.

* * *

 

Chris didn’t spend the night at the manor, he opted to spend the evening in Red Bluff after three meetings with local PD. Argent Firearms still had deals to make and offer him cover as well. He left a little after ten in the morning, making his way down to Chico. It was almost noon when he pulled up to the storage facility. A swipe of the keycard gave him access and he pulled all the way to the back.

The truck was still there and Chris parked his SUV. Getting into the truck, even he could feel the power coming from the back. It was a two hour drive, but he needed to get this to Davis. Pulling out he decided the best thing was back ways to Davis and arrive a few hours before sunset. The window of vulnerability was great, but they had little choice, the Mission in Davis had active wards and was mostly empty; that made it ideal to place the prison and hold out through the night.

* * *

 

Derek looked over the manor one last time. He nodded as Liz and Jennifer got there from the school. Jasmine was kept home all week for her protection and that of her fellow students. Brett, Mason, and Liam follow the ladies inside. The Keys twins were on their way with their parents, but Bronson was leaving with him.

“We can leave Porter or Patrick behind if you want.” Derek looked around. Michael was going with him as were all the wolves. It was all hands on deck, but leaving some support for the kids.

“No, we talked about this, everything depends on tonight.” Liz patted Derek’s shoulder and then moved to take Nicky from Michael’s arms. “Be safe.”

They were driving down because it was safer than taking the Ways, but the two hour drive would put them in Davis an hour before sunset. It was cutting it close, but they had no choice.

* * *

 

Chris pulled into the parking lot once he knew the all the defenders were present. Something told him not to go directly to the Mission. Instead he kept on his route and headed into Sacramento. He parked near the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament and went to eat a bite. There weren’t wards around the church, but it was holy ground and broad daylight. The Fomor showed reluctance to attack during the day themselves and Chris doubted they’d leave this to amateurs.

Now he was at the Mission. Sunset was in half an hour, cutting it close, but that was the point. He climbed down and threw the keys at Jackson. “Get ready to open it up and get it inside.”

Boyd, Isaac, Porter, and Patrick all went to get the cargo out of the truck. Michael and Scott flanked them in case they needed help. Lydia, Marin, and Lynn were in the Mission with Aiden, Ethan, and a few others. Stiles was out front with Jackson and Cameron.

The sun fell below the horizon. On Halloween, the odds were almost even when the Fomor attacked. They were vulnerable, but still powerful. It was splitting hairs, but that was all they had. There was a light breeze as the guys attached pulleys to drag the stone closer to the edge. They had some nylon carrying ropes that they planned to attach, making it easier to carry since the stone didn’t have hand holds.

Derek stopped his patrol circuit around the Mission. He motioned for Kira and Leighton to stop. The two streets that intersected in front of the Mission were darkening. The lights were going out. Not for the first time Derek wished that his ‘servants’ could enter the Mission, but the wards denied them.

Pulling out her katana, Kira’s eyes flashed and her electric kitsune came forward. She vaulted over two parked cars and headed to the moving truck.

Leighton frowned and started running for the Mission. “Derek, take cover.”

The alpha paused before he ran towards the front. The main attack was going to come from there and most people were inside or out back.

Stiles watched as the lights started going out. Reaching back, he pulled out the crystal he nabbed from the cave and placed it on top of the old staff. His instincts proved right when the crystal lit up as did several runes on the staff Stiles never even saw they were buried under other symbols.

“ _Lux salva nos!”_ he cried out and the crystal burned brilliantly. The approaching shadows retreated in the face of the brightness.

Emerging from the darkness, Hammond Byers laughed, “What a poor group to try to save the world. He will come soon and with it bring about the End! And we shall be rewarded!”

“Shut up already,” yelled Cameron. He pulled out a knife and threw it at a shadow moving towards the field of light. Suddenly several Servitors stepped out of the shadows. “And the fun begins.”

* * *

 

Everyone was in the Den below while Liz sat with John, Jordan, and Jennifer in the Living Room. The kids were enjoying Halloween shows instead of going out. Jasmine temper tantrum at staying home all week was assuaged by lots of play time with Uncle Derek. She also enjoyed playing with Malia which helped as well.

Jennifer lifted her head first as the wards began going active. She and Liz traded looks as more and more of the manor defenses went up. “John, get downstairs. Jordan, you have no idea what you can do so you need to go as well.”

The banging at the front door caught them off guard. John stopped and headed towards it when it burst open in flames. He ducked in time to avoid getting hit by major pieces, but there were a few splinters in his arm.

“Is anyone one home?” Sam walked through the open doorway and smiled. His eyes were pitch black. “His Majesty demands a ransom.” He moved towards the staircase that went to the basement level. Jordan jumped him and was thrown across the hall into the Dining Room. “You can’t stop me.”

Agent Adams stood outside and began attacking the wards. Liz ran up and threw a bottle at her, but it deflected off her personal shield. “You will lose.” She threw a mage lance at Liz and most of the energy was absorbed by the wards, but it still made Liz crumple to the floor in pain.

“Pick on someone your own size,” yelled Jennifer as she began spinning out bolt after bolt of mage fire. “Forgot that I’m a sorceress, did you?”

“So what!” lightning flew from Adams’ hands and leveled the White Court member. “All too easy!” She fired more lightning at the door and watched as the threshold wards collapsed. Crossing inside, only a small amount of her power was drained. “Find the kids and bring them. The older alpha will trade anything for his offspring.”

Sam moved and before he made it was grabbed. One of the golems had him by the arm. With a swing he was thrown down the hall, through the plate glass, and onto the patio. The golem turned to face the other possessed agent.

‘ _You forgot something_ ,’ called out a voice.

Adams looked around and fired spell after spell trying to slow down the golem.

_‘There is more protecting this house than spells_ ,’ said a materialized Laura. Two dryads appeared and yanked Adams back out the door while another golem grabbed her. She smiled as John limped forward. ‘ _Check on them. We aren’t out of danger yet_.’

The lights flickered and went out. Jennifer groaned as she got up. A wave of her hand had candles all over the house going. She eyed the blown open door and shattered floor to ceiling glass window. “We may need to think about a strategic retreat.”

* * *

 

The attack at the back of the Mission was swift. The Fomor appeared, but it was not only the Servitors, but some of the fallen ‘gods’ themselves. Even diminished, they were powerful and on Halloween they were still a force to reckon with.

The wolves hauling the sarcophagus were forced to drop it in order to defend effectively. They were only halfway to the Mission doors and its protection.

Michael jumped up and grabbed one of the ‘gods’ by the head and pulled. “Don’t let them get to the prison!” He didn’t do much damage, but it was a great distraction.

Chaos reigned all around the Mission. Those inside gathered their strength and started firing off support spells to aid the wolves. Allison walked out with Danny; she started firing arrow after arrow while he used special shotgun shells to open a path around the sarcophagus. “Get it moving!”

In front Stiles used the staff like he was born to wield it. The true meaning of being a hyperkinetic mage made itself known to him. Power thrummed through his veins as he called incantation after incantation. He spotted Derek and threw a shield around him for a brief moment, enough to buy the alpha a moment’s breath.

“Fall back into the Mission,” Derek yelled. “We can’t defend both sides!”

The entire ground shook suddenly. Out of nowhere, shadows contorted and flame emerged from thin air. A deep cruel laughter rang out across the grounds.

“ **Fools! Think you could rob me of my victory!”** From that dark fog emerged, Balor, King of the Fomor. He clapped his hands together and the clan in the front of the Mission was thrown against it. He leapt into the sky and flew to the other side of the building.

He landed and laughed as he saw the sarcophagus on the ground. Fueled by all the sacrifices, he gathered his energy and attacked the ancient stone tomb.

“Give me the knife!” Michael yelled to Peter. With the ancient knife of dissolution gripped in his hand, he ordered a full attack by everyone to open a way for him. He jumped over three Servitors and landed near the king. He drove the knife in the Fomor’s side.

The attack on the sarcophagus stopped and Balor backhanded Michael. He impacted the wall of the Mission and was out. Derek barreled out with another weapon from their cache and attacked the king. The spear danced and forced the Fomorian to cease his advance and defend. The tip of the spear glowed as Derek wielded it; channeling his own mantle’s powers through the rune imprinted on the shaft. He was doing his best to keep the Fomorian off balance.

Stiles moved through the Mission on his way back. “Lydia, now!” he raced outside while she set a plan in motion. He didn’t even think about it, but ran to the front of the battle, raised his staff and summoned the strongest shield he could. The nearly tangible light pushed back against Balor’s flaming smoke and shadow. The shield pushed the Fomorians back and let the wolves get reformed. He noticed Boyd and Cora helping Michael to his feet.

A furious attack from Balor had Stiles on his knees holding the shield as best he could. Lydia came running out, handing something to Derek. Derek gripped it and nodded to Stiles. The shield came down and Derek threw the Enochian stone right in the line of attack from Balor. The concussive explosion knocked everyone back and sent Balor reeling backwards.

Erica ran up and pointed, “There is a crack in the lid and some light is coming out!”

The Fomor renewed their assault with extreme ferocity and the wolves were flagging. Jackson, Patrick, and Porter grabbed some of the straps and started pulling. “We have to get it inside!”

Stiles pulled back and tried to form a shield path so they could pull with fewer attacks, but he was having a difficult time maintaining shield integrity. Three of the wolves pulled while everyone else fought to give them a chance. Danny kept up his fire and Allison switched to a crossbow. Chris used a semiautomatic to keep the flying Fomorians off balance. Kira’s katana slashed next to Cameron’s broad sword. Scott, Boyd, Isaac, Ethan, and Aiden showed the Fomorians just how lethal they were with up close knife work. Cora and Erica worked in tandem to take down Servitors. All the training paid off as they worked in concert to fight the Fomorians. But they were wearing down and the continued attacks kept the sarcophagus from advancing rapidly.

Suddenly lightning rained down out of nowhere and behind Balor and his minions walked Erin McNamara with four White Council Wardens. Derek threw a Servitor off and let it take out two more. “Where did you come from?”

Carlos glared at Derek. “This! This is something I should have been told! We could have been here from the beginning. There are fairy rings going wild all over the planet and then there is THIS!”

“Couldn’t, was a secret.” Derek ducked at the withering glare from the wizard. He recognized the other three wardens as guys who’d been there before, including Chandler who refused to return to Beacon Hills. “Who are you?”

“Dr. McNamara?” Leighton asked as he helped Porter move the stone tomb towards the Mission. The wizards’ arrival opened up a chance for the wolves to get the prisoner into the Mission and for the wounded to recover. It was a timely distraction.

“ **NO!** ” bellowed so loud that everyone covered their ears. The tomb was halfway through the door when Balor unleashed all his fury. Everyone scrambled out of the way as the powerful fireball hit the stone and it cracked in several places.

The stones cracked further and a huge ball of incandescent light swirled around the shattered stone. The wind picked up pulling all kinds of debris towards the center of the swirling light. The wizards continued to fight the Fomor and the wolves that could still fight, did so as well. The ball of light grew in size and luminescence. Only the merest hint of a being could be seen in the swirling light.

Derek spotted Byers with the knife used on Jordan advancing on the waking angel. His spear was buried in the skull of a Servitor. Pulling out his knife, Derek gathered his power, calling on the gift from the Lady. He saw the shimmer on Byers that scream personal shield. Derek threw the knife with all his might. Byers fell backwards with the knife buried in his throat. He dropped the knife covered in Nephilim blood.

Balor landed near the Mission and laughed. “ **You dare stand against me. You, servant of the Moon. She shall feel my wrath after I reclaim our rightful realm**.” He summoned the knife to his hand.

Unveiling behind all the commotion and unnoticed, Luke Amirani walked up to the glowing form. Reaching out, the glowing being reacted to his presence. Amirani laughed, it was such a joyous sound in the middle of deadly combat that all paused for a moment. The light entered Amirani. Balor screamed, but light enveloped Amirani and his being changed.

“ **We are whole again! And you are not welcome!”** A beam of light flew from his hand and Balor froze for a moment. In a flash he was banished. Amirani looked around and peered to the Heavens. “ **Convergence.”** He snapped his fingers.

All the clan members blinked and they were in the meadow behind the manor. The gate to the Nevernever was there, but a pillar of magical light emanated from fairy ring. Amirani walked over to it. Wings of an angel retracted and Amirani was suddenly normal sized and ten times his size. His laughter echoed over the Hale lands.

“ **I am returned! I am Prometheus!”**

Everyone that was inside arrived at the meadow and watched as the Titan sent a beam of light into the fairy ring. A wave of energy rushed by them all and suddenly several waves came from the ring, wave after wave of magical energy flowed from the pillar of light.

The Titan walked over to Derek and nodded. “ **A gift I give to you and a boon I shall grant when you need.”** He touched Derek’s forehead and laughed again. “ **She chose wisely.** ”

Amirani, Prometheus, turned, raised his hands, and winds wiped around the manor. Light and energy flew from the fairy ring and towards the manor. All of the clan members found their injuries healed and fatigue vanished. The winds were fragrant and full of life making them al think of happier times.

Suddenly a shaft of golden light landed near them as did a silvery beam of moonlight. The Goddess walked out of the moonlight and an angel in full armor emerged from the golden light, sword drawn, and wings unfurled.  

“Have you any idea what you have caused!”

Prometheus turned and smiled. “ **Of course, Gabriel. But the alternative was far worse**.” He turned to Selene and bowed, “ **My Lady**.”

“So a Titan has returned to full power,” she looked up. “A fallen pantheon has a member.”

Gabriel’s glow pulled back and he frowned. “You’ve returned and started Convergence.”

The Summer Gate flared and out came many fae and a few Sidhe. The Summer Lady walked out and bowed to the assembled. “Greetings, My Lord Prometheus from Queens Titania and Mab. My Lady, my Lord,” she said as she acknowledged the Great Powers assembled before her.

“ **I have only established a limited Convergence. This is one of the last open gates.”**   He stopped his magical spell and turned to them fully. He also returned to how he looked as Luke Amirani. “If Balor has assumed my other aspect then you both would have a war on your hands. The Outer Gates would be wide open and the Old Ones would be here.”

Gabriel pointed to the Heavens. The sky was full of shooting stars. “Instead many remember who they used to be and renounce their allegiance. Another War in Heaven is in the offing.”

“That was always going to happen,” The Goddess offered. “My Champion, you and your companions did well. Your ancestors would be proud.” She walked over to Derek and kissed his forehead. “Enjoy the Titan’s gift. We shall speak again soon.” She was gone.

The archangel nodded looking like the surfer Stiles described once before instead of in full warrior’s regalia. “Indeed Lord Hale, I cannot thank you enough. This outcome was the best of a bad lot.” He walked over to Stiles and ruffled his hair. “You’ve much to learn, as do you all, and I too have a gift for you.” Suddenly in his hands were the seven Enochian stones and then they were gone. “They are fully charged and all around your homestead. Even after what the Titan has done, they will increase your defenses. Be warned, things are going to change and very soon.

“Peace be with you.” And he left.

The Summer Lady walked over and bowed to the assembled. “My Lords and Ladies, The Queens offer you our friendship. You are now freeholders in the Accords and allies of both Courts.” She turned to Derek and nodded. “Your Grace, by your leave.”

As the fae turned to leave, Lydia walked over to Prometheus and frowned. “A god? Really?”

“I was not, I was a diminished aspect of who I was. When we fall sometimes we cleave and become parts of who we were. The Watcher was a teacher of humanity and a part of me. We are together again and ascended; returned to who we really are.” He smiled at her. “That doesn’t mean I didn’t mean what I told you.” He turned to all of them. “Go up the path and enjoy. Your mission is far from complete. This was just another step in a long journey.” He paused, “There is one up there who can explain things.” He nodded and vanished.

The clan got and started walking up the path was dark with the foliage more dense than normal. Michael carried Nicky and Jasmine insisted on holding Uncle Derek’s hand. While they were all healed, their clothes were pretty much a loss for most of them.

After the path turned everyone looked up in wonder as they approached the side of a building with a few steps up to a set of double glass doors that were about ten feet tall. It was dark, so it was hard to see even with some lighting on the sides of the doors. They could see that the lower wall was stone, but the second story hand windows.

“What is this?” asked a dumfounded Peter.

Derek pushed open the doors and was in a short covered hallway that led out into a large courtyard that was wide, expansive, and full of flowers and plants. The pool was there, but what caught Derek’s eye was the complete new building. Everything looked…like a dream

“It’s a modern version of a Mediterranean villa,” whispered Lynn. “This is amazing.” All around were areas that were open rooms and others that were covered, but still open air. Sounds of running water and fountains filled the air. Two fireplaces illuminated outdoor seating areas. It was an enclosed courtyard.

‘ _He took stuff from three of our ancestral homes and ideas that you’d floated with the architect.  Carthage, Spanish, and Italian pieces are here._ ’ Laura appeared next to the silver birch that was still in the middle of the courtyard. There was both an ancient and modern feel to the place. It was huge, but also felt homey.

Emily, Lilian, Yolanda, and Javier all came out and bowed. “All the rooms are ready for the evening. But we will need new furniture to fill many spaces.” Lillian pointed to two people slumped over a couple of sofas. “They will recover.”

John checked on them and sighed. “I’ll deal with them; make sure they get debriefed.”

“Glad you will handle it,” Lynn said and started looking around.

The carriage house was larger and also now part of a villa theme. It was dark and hard to see everything, but there lights coming from second and third floor rooms. The whole thing was beautiful for what they could see. Everyone was slowly directed to where their rooms were currently located. The new layout was very different from the manor.  

Derek and Stiles made it to the fourth floor where their room had windows on two sides looking out towards the preserve and front of the house. It was as large as their former room, but no longer completely divided.

“We survived,” Stiles muttered as he face planted on the bed. “Spent all my strength, have to sleep.”

Stiles tapped into his abilities at a level he never had before and was paying the price. Derek knew that. He walked around the room, taking in everything. He noticed something out on the desk. It looked like the circlet he’d worn in the spring, but this was gold, not silver. A small note was next to it.

‘ _For the title upgrade. P._ ’

Derek sank down in the chair, spotting several books he’d never seen. Instantly he figured they were homework assignments. The view out the windows was breathtaking and when he got a chance Derek figured the house, villa, would be just as stunning. Snores from the bed made him smile.

There would be time to digest what happened. Several Powers weren’t happy, but the alternative was far worse. He could feel a change all around. Magic was flowing all around the county. Something happened with the fairy ring and it sounded like it happened in several places.

“Convergence…” he muttered. The work was cut out for him now. For now they were safe. Given everything they’d experienced, that was the best he could hope for. The rest they would deal with when it came up. He gave Stiles a kiss on the head. “We’ll deal with it all tomorrow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. The story will continue.

**Author's Note:**

> There will be seven parts to this story.
> 
> Here is the [Hale Family](http://elrond50.tumblr.com/post/95500405258/hale-family) biography that will be updated. The [college attendees](http://elrond50.tumblr.com/post/97986193473/another-hale-clan-biography-section) and the [new members](http://elrond50.tumblr.com/post/123071022398/hale-clan-members).


End file.
